IPL 2018, Match 41, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians - Match Prediction

Mumbai Indians had kept their chances in Vivo IPL 11 alive with a victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders the other day.

The defending champions face the same oppositions on Wednesday in the return leg at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It will be a big match for both the teams. Mumbai cannot afford to lose any of the games from here on. They need to keep winning to qualify for the playoffs.

Mumbai have done it in the past, and they would believe the last three victories in four matches was a signal of the start of something extraordinary.

Their batting department has gelled as a unit quite well. The form of Suryakumar Yadav at the top of the order has been one of the key reasons for the success of Mumbai in the last few games. He has been a pillar and has been consistent all through the tournament. Even in the match against Kolkata, it was Surya’s brilliant 59 which got them off to a brilliant start.

Even his partner, Evil Lewis played a good hand. However, the form of skipper Rohit Sharma has been a concern for Mumbai. He hasn’t been at his consistent best. The Hitman has played a couple of good knocks but hasn’t been the pillar in the middle order. He has been a sensational batsman for Mumbai Indians over the years and will be hopeful of returning to runs today.

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The Pandya brothers are having a great season. Hardik held the purple cap before losing it to Umesh Yadav. He has provided the much-needed stability with his elder brother, Krunal out in the middle. He took a sensational catch in the last match which proved so decisive in the outcome of the result. On the other hand, the bowling department also looks rock solid.

Jasprit Bumrah is slowly coming into his own. Mitchell McClenaghan has also been among the wickets. Young leggie Mayank Markande is in the race for the purple catch. He has bowled brilliantly in the tournament so far. The wicket of Robin Uthappa was crucial in the previous encounter. However, had it not been for his dropped catch, Uthappa would have only made four instead of 54.

Kolkata, on the other hand, have a horrible record against the Mumbai Indians. They have lost the last six matches against them. Despite them featuring above Mumbai on the points table, the latter will start as favourites given their sheer domination against Kolkata over the years. It will be on the back of their mind. However, Kolkata is a class unit and will look to make a turnaround pretty early.

Skipper Dinesh Karthik has been the pillar in the middle order. Uthappa scored his maiden fifty of the tournament against Mumbai in the previous match. He will surely look to continue his good run. The bowling department has been led by a certain Sunil Narine who has bowled quite brilliantly in the tournament.

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Kuldeep Yadav has been a bit inconsistent but has been among the wickets. Andre Russell has been inconsistent but bagged a couple of crucial wickets in the previous clash against the same oppositions.

They will surely look to make a turnaround and set their record straight against the Mumbai Indians. KKR will surely gain heart from the fact that they will be playing at their home ground.

Team Combinations

Kolkata Knight Riders

Shivam Mavi has been declared fit to play in today’s clash. He missed out the previous game after sustaining an injury against the Chennai Super Kings. Prasid Krishna is likely to make way for Mavi. The rest of the team is likely to remain the same.

Predicted XI:  Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c, wk), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Mitchell Johnson, Shivam Mavi, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav

Mumbai Indians

The three-time champions have their bases covered. They have played some impressive cricket in the last couple of games and is unlikely to tinker with the winning combination

Predicted XI: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, JP Duminy, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah

Match Prediction

Given the sheer dominance of Mumbai against Kolkata, the former would start as favourites for today’s clash. Kolkata has lost their last six matches against Mumbai. The most successful team in the tournament needs to keep winning, and they will be dangerous in such circumstances.

So I will look with Mumbai to continue their winning streak against Kolkata.

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