Mumbai Indians look to snap losing streak in UAE against Kolkata Knight Riders

The last time the IPL moved to the UAE, although only partially, KKR went on to win the championship. In the five years since, KKR have failed to make a single appearance in the final of the tournament. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians will be keen to reverse their dubious distinction of not winning a single game in the UAE in six attempts when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.

KKR may possess a powerhouse of a batting lineup with a healthy blend of Indian and overseas, as well as youth and experience in their top 6. While Sunil Narine will be expected to provide impetus at the top, a middle-order of Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik will provide the perfect foil to the lesser-experienced Indian batting duo of Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana. With the explosive Andre Russell to follow them, the Mumbai Indians’ bowlers will have their task cut out if they are to shackle the Knight Riders’ hitting prowess. 

The bowling department however, will depend heavily on the experience of Pat Cummins who KKR splurged on in the auction. With an Indian fast bowling contingent devoid of any senior international experience, the Knight Riders may be tempted to go in with Lockie Ferguson, although that would mean sacrificing Eoin Morgan from their overseas quota. Kuldeep Yadav’s form left much to be desired in the 2019 edition of the league, and Kolkata would be hoping the chinaman bowler would have regained his mojo this time around. Sunil Narine, however, will once again be the ace in the Knight Riders’ bowling pack.

Having gotten off to a flyer in the first four overs against CSK in their first game, Mumbai Indians faltered to capitalize on the start. A flurry of wickets in the last 6 overs meant those overs produced only 41 runs allowing Chennai back into the game. The bowling unit, mirroring their batting counterparts failed to build on the early wickets. The spinners in Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar went for more than 9 an over, and could not pick up wickets when needed.

Their main potent wicket-taking weapon in Jasprit Bumrah had an off day, conceding an uncharacteristic 43 runs in his four overs. Whenever skipper Rohit Sharma turned to him, he did not have the right answers on the night. If MI are to stop a batting juggernaut, Bumrah will have to find his footing in the tournament quickly.

With many mouthwatering contests on offer - Bumrah against Russell, Pollard against Narine, Rohit Sharma against Pat Cummins, just to name a few - the encounter between the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders promises to be a close contest. While the Knight Riders will be hoping to replicate their form of 2014, the Mumbai Indians will be looking to avoid two defeats in as many matches.