MI vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2024, Match 51

The MI vs KKR IPL 2024 match is the first meeting between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in this edition of the IPL. MI is way ahead in terms of head-to-head winning 23 of the 32 games played. KKR over the years has won just nine.

Date and Venue

The MI vs KKR IPL 2024 match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 3, Friday from 7.30 pm IST. KKR have won just one game at the Wankhede Stadium against MI.

KKR are placed second with 12 points from nine games. On the other hand, MI are still placed ninth on the points table after succumbing to another heavy defeat to LSG. They have now played 10 games so far this season.

MI vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2024, Match 51

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR are heading into this game after a dominant win over Delhi Capitals in their last game. KKR completed a run phase of 154 against DC inside 17 overs and won the match with 21 balls to spare boosting their NRR once again. They now will be facing an opponent in MI who have had the wood over KKR in the IPL. Thus strategies should be in place for this crucial game. KKR are still placed second on the points table.

Starting with the loss against CSK, KKR have now won three games and lost three in the six games played. Harshit Rana has been handed a one-match ban and fined 100 percent of his match fees for the send-off that he gave to Abishek Porel. He will be missing the next match for KKR.

It will be interesting to see who replaces him in the squad. Moreover, the England players playing for the different franchises in the IPL will not be available for the playoffs. This means that Phil Salt will need to make more of an impact in the last few league games for KKR.

KKR Squad

Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, KS Bharat, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Sakib Hussain

Mumbai Indians

MI are placed eighth on the points table heading into this game. They lost their previous match to LSG heading into this game. Hardik Pandya's captaincy has been the subject of debate for Mumbai Indians. The batters including Rohit Sharma. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have not been consistent enough for the side.

The middle-order batting looks even more fragile despite the Hardik Pandya and Tim David in the side. MI's score of 145 was just not enough against LSG as their batters once again could not stand up for the side.

Bowling-wise, there is too much pressure on Jasprit Bumrah to deliver in every game. Gerald Coetzee has picked up wickets but has been expensive as well. MI's weak link is their spin attack with Piyush Chawla being the only specialist spinner in the lineup. KKR can attack the weaklings of MI to win this game at the Wankhede.

MI Squad

Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Harvik Desai, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Luke Wood, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma, Kwena Maphaka

MI vs KKR Key Battles

Sunil Narine vs Jasprit BUmrah

Narine has been consistent at the top for KKR this season. He has scored 372 runs already. His opening partnerships with Phil Salt have given his team a great start.

Bumrah who has dismissed him in the past knows exactly how to bowl to him and should target his wicket inside the powerplay.

Phil Salt vs Piyush Chawla / Md Nabi

Salt has been particularly aggressive against pace in this IPL season. He was dismissed by Axar Patel in the previous match against DC. Salt's rike rate dips below 140 against spin and MI have the likes of Chawla and Nabi to trouble him.

Rohit Sharma vs Sunil Narine

Rohit has scored 145 runs in 136 deliveries off Narine but has been dismissed 8 times by the mystery spinner in the IPL. Rohit has a strike rate of just over 100 against him.

Suryakumar Yadav vs Varun Chakravarthy

Varun has kept SKY quiet in the IPL giving away just 26 runs in 35 balls against him. The leggie can be a good match-up against him. Varun bowled a brilliant spell against DC and would like to continue that form against MI.

MI vs KKR Key Players

For KKR, Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, and Rinku Singh will be key with the bat along with Andre Russell. With the ball, the KKR spin duo of Narine and Chakravarthy will be key.

For MI, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav hold the key with the bat as they have scored runs against KKR. With the ball, Jasperit Bumrah and Piyush Chawla will be key.

Weather and Pitch

The weather conditions for the MI vs KKR game on Friday will be hot and humid. The temperatures in the evening will be around 29 degrees with partly cloudy skies. There is no chance of rain but the humidity levels will be around 70 percent.

Historically, the Wankhede has been a high-scoring venue. MI have already scored 234 this season against DC and CSK scored 206 against MI. Teams favour chasing at this venue due to the impact of dew and the pitch should play out accordingly. 200 is a par first-inning score at this venue.

Conclusion

MI have dominated KKR historically in the IP with a head-to-head count of 23-9 in 32 games. However, given their form and performance this season, and the form that KKR are in, they should back themselves to beat MI at the Wankhede.

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