IPL 2023, MI vs KKR: Pitch report (Wankhede Stadium)
Mumbai Indians will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 22 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The iconic Wankhede Stadium will host the clash on April 16. MI are coming off a win, having lost their first two duels. On the other hand, KKR have two victories and as many defeats under their belt. Here is the pitch report.
How the track behaves here?
With the boundaries being on the shorter side, the Wankhede track is fruitful for batting. Pacers might get some assistance with the new ball. The only previous game at this venue saw Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeat MI by seven wickets, successfully chasing down 158. Though the dew factor would not come into play, the toss-winning skipper might elect to bowl.
A look at the stadium stats
As mentioned, the track here is conducive for batting as the average run rate of teams batting first here in IPL reads 8.77. Chasing sides have won 57 of the 105 IPL games played here. Teams batting first emerged winners on 47 occasions. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) own the highest team score at this venue, 235/1 versus MI in IPL 2015.
How the two teams have fared at this venue?
MI have so far played 72 IPL games at Wankhede and emerged winners on 44 occasions (including super over games). Among IPL teams, only KKR (46 at Eden Gardens) own more victories at a venue. KKR have a terrible record at Wankhede as MI have defeated them eight times in nine meetings here. Overall, they have just four wins in 15 games here.
Here are the key performers
At Wankhede, Rohit Sharma has clobbered 1,861 runs in 67 games with his strike rate being 132.92. Suryakumar Yadav has smoked 507 runs in 20 IPL games here (SR: 134.84). Veteran KKR spinner Sunil Narine has fared decently here, scalping 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.33. Nitish Rana owns 412 runs in 15 IPL games here at a strike rate of 126.38.
A look at the probable playing XIs
MI (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Tim David, Jason Behrendorff, Hrithik Shokeen, Nehal Wadhera, Arshad Khan, Riley Meredith/Jofra Archer. KKR (Probable XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), N Jagadeesan, Nitish Rana (captain), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav. Impact players: Piyush Chawla (MI) and Venkatesh Iyer (KKR).
