The defending champions Mumbai Indians will lock horns with the two times champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The encounter will mark the 32nd match of the Indian Premier League 2020. Mumbai Indians will be aware of the fact that a victory would once again place them on top of the table. While Dinesh Karthik and Co. will be looking forward to making it to the double-digit club by winning this match.
The previous encounter between the two sides saw Mumbai Indians thrash the KKR team by 49 runs. The KKR after winning the toss elected to bowl first and the Mumbai Indians with the help of their captain- Rohit Sharma set a total of 195 on the board. With both the openers of KKR dismissed cheaply, MI were in the driver’s seat to win the match.
With all their lead bowlers having numbers on their wickets column, the struggling KKR side were dismissed for 146 runs in their quota of 20 overs. Though, KKR have been a better side after the loss and added that their captain Dinesh Karthik, who was struggling to get going has found his rhythm in the last few games.
Mumbai Indians will come into this match on the back of a win as they defeated one of the best playing teams in this season- Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets. While KKR had a check to their winning momentum when they in-form RCB dismantled the side for a score of 112 for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs.
Can the defending champions make it to the top of the table? Or will KKR be able to get past the mighty Mumbai Indians?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (19:00 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (19:30 IST)
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Weather Report
The conditions are once again in favor of cricket as there is no chance of rain whatsoever. The temperature is on the lower side as the peak summer in the country is coming to an end. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 29-30 degree range. While the humidity is reported to be around the 52% mark.
Pitch
Abu Dhabi has been the slowest among the three pitches in UAE. With the pitch on the slower side, the spinners could definitely use it in their favor. As seen in the last few matches, any score of 170 plus by the team batting first seems to be a winning one.
With the match scheduled to be played in the evening, the due may once again come into play.
Team News
Mumbai Indians seem to be a very well settled side and the management will not want to make any changes to the winning combination. They are very likely to feature the same Xl that handed them a clinical win over the Delhi Capitals.
Kolkata Knight Riders on the other hand have had to deal with the issue of the West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine, who was reported for illegal action. He was made to sit out the last match against RCB so as to work on his action. The decision was taken as one more warning would mean that the off-spinner could be banned from bowling in this season of IPL.
He was replaced by the hard-hitting Englishmen Tom Banton. Though the youngster failed to impress on his debut, it is too early to take a call on his ability. Sunil Narine would have now definitely worked on his action and is likely to make it back to the team.
Probable Playing Xl
Mumbai Indians (MI): Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Tom Banton/Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Rahul Tripathi, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
MI vs KKR Fantasy Team
Quinton de Kock(wk), Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Eoin Morgan, Shubman Gill, Krunal Pandya, Andre Russell, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Pat Cummins
Captain Picks: Rohit Sharma (MI), Shubman Gill (KKR)
Vice-Captain Picks: Andre Russell (KKR), Quinton de Kock (MI)
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