Kolkata: Mumbai Indians first home game will be a battle of nerves having lost both their opening encounters, while KKR riding on the highs of a superb victory against Rajasthan Royals would be charged to prolong the winning streak. Though the record books are heavily tilted in favour of the five-time champions, having won 23 of the 34 times the duo has met, KKR will bank on their recent form and self-belief.
The first two matches have not gone well for MI, having suffered two successive defeats, the latest being the embarrassing loss against the Gujarat Titans at Motera.To make matters worse Hardik Pandya has been fined Rs 12 lakhs for slow over rate in the last match. They will be desperate to return to winning ways in this upcoming encounter at the Wankhade, dubbed as the MI bastion, and shake-off the early disappointments.
Skipper Hardik Pandya knows this is a long tournament, but is also aware that three straight defeats would push them to the ropes. They will also need Rohit Sharma (8) and Ryan Rickelton (6), who played poorly against GT, to fire on all cylinders, along with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar in the first power play. Jasprit Bumrah’s absence is hurting the team. Captain Hardik Pandya knows he has one of the most balanced sides in the IPL, but will have to do something special to make them click.
In contrast, KKR found their rhythm and form, and maybe the right combination with the addition of Moen Ali, in their last match. They also will be encouraged by the fact that they beat MI both home and away last season when they lifted the trophy for the third time. Batting will be a worry for KKR as other than Quinton de Kock and Ajinkya Rahane, the others have flattered to deceive. This course correction would be needed urgently to win against a very hungry MI team.
Moen Ali, who replaced Sunil Narine out due to illness,bowled well in the middle overs. But Sunil Narine is fit and will come back to the side. And if Narine is added to the playing eleven along with Moen Ali, then the likely player to sit out is the lacklustre Spencer Johnson, with Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Andre Russell leading the pace
attack. But if Moen Ali is left out, he could be an impact player for KKR.
Talking during the pre-match press conference Head Coach Chandrakanth Pandit said, “We are coming on the back of a big win and MI has lost both their matches. There should be a psychological edge, though MI is a very strong side and there can be no complacency. Besides, at Wankhade they are almost invincible. Ajinkya and myself have played here all our life and that experience can come good during the match.”
The Wankhede will almost certainly present a high scoring track with the chasing teams having a better track record, which also proves that the pitch eases with time. Any impact of dew has been effectively neutralised by the law changes in IPL that allowed the team bowling second to change balls if it became too soggy. Therefore, toss would be crucial only to determine which team is comfortable doing what—set a target or chase.
Also, there will be mini-encounters to watch. Rohit Sharma versus Sunil Narine, who has him eight times in IPL, Quinton de Kock against Trent Boult with the latter scalping him six times in T20 battles, and Ajinkya Rahane against Deepak Chahar with the bowler dismissing the KKR captain four times in IPL. It will also be a spectacle to see Hardik and Andre battling for supremacy in the middle of the innings.