IPL 10, Qualifier 2, MI v KKR Preview: Mighty Mumbai Indians take on Knight Riders for finale berth

The Mumbai Indians were soaring sky high after they had finished as the table toppers at the conclusion of the league stage in this edition of the IPL. However, they were stunned by neighbors, Rising Pune Supergiant, is the first Qualifier of the season. Much to their happiness, the advantage of having finished in the top two of the league stages worked in their favor.

Mumbai Indians will now have their second crack at the final cherry in the Qualifier 2. However, it is worth noting that they will be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR has been in a rampaging form in the recent times. They had a brief scare in the Eliminator against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was a very calm head Gautam Gambhir who led them from the front in the run chase that lasted 6 overs.

The confidence of having won the eliminator will be helpful. But when it comes to the most recent encounters, it was the Mumbai camp that had upset the Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in the last league game of the season for both teams. The history suggests that the Knight Riders have been the strongest outfit in the IPL playoffs. But, if there has been a team that has tamed them at will in the tournament history, then it has been Mumbai Indians.

Toss: Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first

Quotes from the toss:

Gautam Gambhir: “We were looking to chase as well. Hopefully, the batters can set the game for the bowlers today. We have two changes: Ankit Rajpoot comes in place of Yusuf Pathan and Colin de Grandhomme comes in place of Boult.”

Rohit Sharma: “We will field first. By the looks, if it, looks a good wicket, but will play slower, as has been the case all season in Bangalore. With weather in mind, we wanted to chase. It’s like a semifinal and try and see what we can do. Last game was an eye opener. So we have spoken about things that need to be corrected. McClenaghan is injured, Johnson comes in.”

Playing XI:

Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Johnson, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga

Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(w), Ishank Jaggi, Suryakumar Yadav, Colin de Grandhomme, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot

Focus will be on

Gautam Gambhir

Skipper Gautam Gambhir led the Kolkata Knight Riders from the front in the Eliminator. Chasing a mere 48 in 6 overs, the KKR camp was in a spot of bother with 12/3 to their account in the second over. Had there not been a certain Gautam Gambhir in the lineup, the team could have well been out of the tournament. Gambhir will again be under the spotlight to steer his team through in the crunch game. The young batting lineup of KKR looks good but lacks experience and maturity. Gambhir fills the void ideally.

Rohit Sharma

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma had a tough time in the game against the Rising Pune Supergiant in the Qualifier 1. He struggled against the spin bowling. Rohit was unlucky to have been given out lbw despite an inside edge. However, truth be told, his struggle against the spin bowling has largely been visible to the opposition camps. He needs to sort out his techniques and provide the much-needed stability in the Mumbai middle-order.

Hardik Pandya

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has largely settled in the role of the finisher for the MI camp. But the young all-rounder from Baroda has succumbed in the pressure situations. When the team has needed his services with the bat in times of batting collapses, Pandya has not shown resistance. Instead, he has been seen following the procession of batsmen heading towards the pavilion. Considering the fact that he is a regular face in the lineup now, Hardik needs to step up and rise to the big occasion.

Team Combinations

Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai camp is likely to field the same side for the big game considering that they have a balanced lineup their disposal. The only possible swapping could be in the spin bowling department. Considering the KKR top order, MI might want to play Harbhajan Singh in place of Karn Sharma. The pace trio is likely to remain the same with Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, and Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik Pandya adds the bowling might to the existing strong setup.

In the batting order, Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons will take the opening slot with Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu being in the middle-order. Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard need to play with responsibility in the lower middle-order to ensure the team finishes off on a high. Considering the sluggish nature of the wicket at Bengaluru, the team will want their services.

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders sprung a few surprises in the previous match with their selections. They brought in Ishank Jaggi in the playing eleven despite the fact that he had not been a part of the side in any of the previous games. Coming into another big game, expect a pretty much same lineup playing for them. Sunil Narine could be back at the opening slot with Chris Lynn.

Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir can take key roles in the middle order. Manish Pandey has been ruled out with an injury and hence Suryakumar Yadav will retain his place in the side. Yusuf Pathan and Ishank Jaggi only aid more batting power to the lineup. In the bowling department, Piyush Chawla bowled really well to retain his place in the lineup. Nathan Coulter-Nile was phenomenal on his return.

Stat Attack

1 – Number of bowlers to have taken more than 150 wickets in IPL history – Lasith Malinga.

2 – Number of fifties scored by Rohit Sharma in a losing cause this season.

6.5 – The Economy rate of Harbhajan Singh this season. He has mostly bowled in the powerplay.

14 – Number of runs needed by Gautam Gambhir to complete 500 runs this season.

20 – Number of times the two sides have faced off each other in IPL history. KKR have won only on 5 occasions and MI have won 15 times.