Mumbai look to open their account against red hot KKR

In a rollicking blockbuster of two sides with contrasting fortunes in the tournament, a soaring Kolkata Knight Riders will collide with a struggling Mumbai Indians who are yet to open their account in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.

The Knights have been off to a phenomenal start that has seen them overcome a defeat against RCB in their second encounter to pump out a masterclass against the Punjab Kings starring a phenomenal bowling display laced with a Russell storm.

Despite a decent show with the bat, the Mumbai Indians have failed to come up with a solid bowling display in both the games, leading to a double whammy in the early rounds of the tournament. They batted first against the Capitals and were in a commanding position until a late blitzkrieg completely changed the complexion of the fixture. The second game for the Indians saw Jos Butler going ballistic and leave them in the midst of a boiling ocean.

This contest will be important for both the teams as a win for the Knights can propel them to the top of the table and will also issue a fair warning for the other franchises about the sheer strength of their squad.

For Mumbai, there is no other option than a victory because the third defeat in a row can condemn them to the rock-bottom of the points table, a position from which staging a comeback will be a herculean task.

Venue Watch:

The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has an added advantage for the spinners and with quality turners like Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in their echelons, Kolkata would simply love to bowl against the Indians. On the contrary, the batters will have their fair share of advantage as the ball will carry to the bat without much hold in the middle that makes life easier for them and a run-fest won’t be a surprise either.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians:

Rohit Sharma (c), Fabian Allen, Anmolpreet Singh, Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Murugan Ashwin, Basil Thampi, Dewald Brevis, Rahul Buddhi, Jasprit Bumrah, Tim David, Ishan Kishan (wk), Aryan Juyal (wk), Mayank Markande, Riley Meredith, Tymal Mills, Kieron Pollard, Ramandeep Singh, Daniel Sams, Sanjay Yadav, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Tilak Varma, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav. 

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Rasikh Dar, Chamika Karunaratne, Baba Indrajith, Ashok Sharma, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Ramesh Kumar, Mohammed Nabi, Aman Khan, Umesh Yadav.

Match Details:

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Date: 6th April 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST