IPL 10, Qualifier 2, MI v KKR - Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

When the Mumbai Indians finished off at the top spot in the league stages, they got the tags of the favorites going into the playoffs. They had the assurance of having two cracks at the final of the tournament this season. Their first opportunity beckoned when they hosted the Rising Pune Supergiant at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in the Qualifier 1. They had the unasked advantage of playing at home in the game.

With the crowds backing the home side and the sea of blue surging high, they were expected to steamroll the Supergiant at their fortress. However, as has been the case this season, the Supergiant finished on top of the game and Mumbai Indians fell short by 20 runs. Now, they head to Bengaluru for the Qualifier. While the first Qualifier had a buffer space in hand, this one will offer no second chances.

A defeat in this fixture would mean direct ouster from the tournament. Mumbai Indians will take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in the all-important fixture. The Knight Riders will be high on confidence going into the game. They had managed to beat the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator to earn their spot in the finals. MI would be wary of the fact and hence field the strongest possible combination on the day.

Here is the Mumbai Indians Predicted XI for Qualifier 2:

Openers (Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons)

Parthiv Patel has been having a good time with the bat this season. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman has been blemish-free with the gloves behind the stumps. With the bat, he has been instrumental in giving flying starts to the Mumbai batting. In the 14 matches that he has played thus far, he has amassed 377 runs with an average close to 27. He has a strike rate of 135.61 this season with two fifties under his belt. The team would want him to continue on the same merry run.

Lendl Simmons has performed decently well in the absence of Jos Buttler since he has arrived in the scheme of things for the team. He started off on a high with a brilliant fifty to his name but has not quite been the same since then. In the previous game against the Rising Pune Supergiant, Simmons was unlucky to have been runout. In the knockout game, the team would want him to come out all guns blazing.

Middle Order (Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard)

Rohit Sharma needs to shoulder more responsibility for his side. Mumbai Indians is a very strong outfit on paper. However, the only weak link that they have at the moment is the inconsistent middle order. They are under the constant threat of a batting collapse. Their worst demons came true when the batting failed collectively in the Qualifier 1. Rohit was unlucky to have been given out and would want to cover up for it.

Ambati Rayudu retained his place in the playing eleven for the game against Supergiant. He failed to back up his good score in the last league game with another one in the playoffs. Rayudu will take confidence from the fact that he had scored a fifty the last time these two sides had met in the league stages.

Kieron Pollard has really come of ages this season. The hard-hitting West Indies all-rounder has shown great character and application at the crease. He has been consistently getting runs for his team this season. Even in mammoth run chases such as the one Mumbai Indians had against the Kings XI Punjab, Pollard had almost steered them through to the target in excess of 220.

All Rounders (Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya)

The Pandya brothers are likely to take the all-rounders roles in the team for the important fixture. Hardik Pandya has been spectacular in his efforts with the bat. In the first league game when the two sides had clashed, it was Hardik Pandya’s heroics that had helped Mumbai Indians outclass the Knight Riders. Hardik has been hitting big runs at an impressive strike rate.

Krunal Pandya had also started off on a very high note this season. However, a midway injury saw him miss out on a few crucial matches. Now that Krunal is fit again, he is likely to settle in the role of the finisher for the team. With the ball, there has been absolutely nothing wrong with his spells. He has bowled economically on a very consistent basis this season.

Bowlers (Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga)

The Mumbai Indians will feel tempted to make a change in the spin department. Karn Sharma has done nothing wrong in the season but the fact that an off-spinner could be a more viable option is something that the team will ponder about. Considering Sunil Narine and Harbhajan Singh in the top order, Harbhajan Singh is likely to make a comeback to the playing eleven.

In the pace department, the team will persist with the pace trio of Mitch McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Lasith Malinga. McClenaghan has been the top performer for the MI camp this season. He has been the wicket-taking bowler for his team. Lasith Malinga has failed to be the kind of impact player he used to be. He would want to contribute more for the team. Jasprit Bumrah has been a perennial performer and is equally capable with new ball and the old ball as well.