IPL 2021 KKR Wish to Win Against Mumbai Indians
Fresh from their clinical display against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders will look to set the record straight against the nemesis Mumbai Indians in their second IPL match in Chennai on Tuesday. IPL News | Points table | Complete agenda
Having missed the last two playoffs, KKR seemed like an entirely different unit, in the way they defeated SRH by 10 runs in their first IPL game here on Sunday.
Be it the aggression displayed by the higher-order or the explosive ending of Dinesh Karthik, KKR displayed a fearless approach under the command of patron Eoin Morgan.
Morgan’s intent was evident right at the launch when he decided to leave out his most trusted lieutenant, Sunil Narine.
Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill’s left-right opening combination began attacking from the first ball, clearly indicating that the new approach had Morgan’s success mantra written all over it.
With a solid middle order at Andre Russell, Karthik and Morgan, 2020 was a promising season for KKR, but aimless planning didn’t help their cause.
This time around, the KKR have further bolstered their middle order by adding Bangladeshi superstar Shakib Al Hasan, while Morgan, in his full season as skipper, brings a new dimension to the team.
Rana’s deft wrist work and raw power were on full display Sunday and ensured they stayed ahead despite Rashid Khan’s twin blows in the form of Gill and Russell.
After Rana’s 80 of 56 balls, it was Karthik under fire who landed an undefeated cameo of 22 nine-ball runs to propel KKR to a winning total of 187 of 6.
And KKR would look to shoot out the five-time champions on Tuesday. They have won just once in their last 12 games against IM, and have an overall head-to-head record of 6-21.
But eventually it will all come down to a battle of wits between Morgan and Rohit Sharma, under whose captaincy MI won a record fifth IPL title last season in the United Arab Emirates.
MI will represent a real challenge for KKR as the title holders would be desperate to secure their first win of the season after their two-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first IPL match on Friday.
KRR found it easy against SRH bowlers, who lacked firepower, but on Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, the MI attack will be a completely different proposition.
Gill’s struggle to hit the T20 rate has been a concern for KKR and it will be interesting to see the young starter come up against the best in the business.
Often referred to as slow starters, MI lost the other day due to the individual brilliance of RCB’s Harshal Patel and AB de Villiers on two-step terrain here.
In his debut match for IM, Chris Lynn was their top scorer, albeit with a stroke of luck, as he survived a few edges and slips.
If Quinton de Kock is still in quarantine, MI may have to persist with Lynn at the top; otherwise, they can revert to their preferred Rohit and Kock left-right opening combination.
MI’s middle order explosive consisting of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and the Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, also failed to fire to be restricted to 159 by nine.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squads:
Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi.
Mumbai Indians Squads:
Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Isukhan Royndya Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.