IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, Qualifier 2 – Match Result Predictions

We are just two matches away from knowing who will be the IPL champions in the 10th edition and before that, we should start gearing up for the Qualifier 2 between two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians which is scheduled to be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 19 May from 8 pm. It will be a mouth-watering contest on our hands as KKR will be hoping to brush aside their lacklustre record against Mumbai and come out all guns blazing.

Mumbai had a horrendous outing in the Qualifier 1 against the Rising Pune Supergiant as they made a meal of a relatively competitive target and eventually lost by 20 runs. They were never in the chase as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals which pegged them back. The death overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah was smashed by MS Dhoni for a couple of sixes in the final over as RPS posted a reasonable score on the board.

Rohit Sharma mentioned in the post-match presentation that it was their worst batting performance in the tournament but despite their defeat, they will get another chance to qualify for the finals by playing the Qualifier 2 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The form of Rohit will be a huge concern for Mumbai and it remains to be seen if Nitish Rana comes back again at the expense of Ambati Rayudu who bagged a golden duck in the previous match.

On the other hand, KKR struggled their way to the playoffs after leading the points table after first 9 matches. They lost 4 of their last 5 games and from a position of strength, they were almost knocked out of the tournament. Despite the rain gods playing spoilsport yesterday, KKR eventually managed to win by 7 wickets under Duckworth-Lewis method courtesy a match winnings innings from the blade of Gautam Gambhir.

Their bowling line-up restricted Hyderabad to 128 in their 20 overs with Nathan Coulter-Nile bagging 3 wickets for a mere 20 runs in 4 overs. It will be an advantageous position for KKR going into the clash especially because they will be playing on the same ground which they played yesterday. Rain might yet again play spoilsport and we have a forecast for rain even today. So with more than 24 hours to go for the 59th match of the competition to commence let us have a look at the match predictions.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:        

Scenario 1: KKR will win the toss

Toss Prediction: KKR choose to bowl

First innings prediction: 145-150

2nd innings Prediction: MI will win by 5 runs 

Scenario 2: MI win the toss

Toss Prediction: MI choose to bowl

First innings Prediction: 150-155

2nd innings Prediction: KKR will win by 2-4 runs

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches –20, MI Won – 15, KKR Won – 5

Knight Riders have a horrendous head to head record against the Mumbai Indians and have lost 15 out of the 20 games played between these two teams all through the last 10 seasons. It will be difficult to predict the result and if the match is a full 20 overs affair then I have a gut feeling that the team batting first will end up winning the match. But if rain again plays spoilsport the scenario might be different and the team batting 2^nd might have the advantage so it will be a tricky situation for both the captains.

Team Combinations

Kolkata Knight Riders

Despite the pathetic form of Yusuf Pathan, they are unlikely to tinker with their combination, especially in a knockout clash. The Baroda lad went for a non-existent run yesterday and was ran out first ball by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Manish Pandey is likely to miss out again and Ishank Jaggi will get another chance in the knockout stage.

Predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Gautam Gambhir (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishank Jaggi, Piyush Chawla, Umesh Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult

Mumbai Indians

The exclusion of Harbhajan Singh in the previous match was baffling, to say the least, and they might bring him back considering the experience he has. Nitish Rana might be preferred ahead of Rayudu after the latter went for a duck against Pune. Meanwhile, Bhajji might come in at the expense of Karn Sharma.

Predicted XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Lendl Simmons, Rohit Sharma (c), Nitish Rana, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan,  Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga

We have a forecast for rain and thunderstorm so as of now it is pretty difficult to predict the winner but my gut feeling says that if it is a full match then the team batting first might come out triumphantly.

Do let us know your predictions in the comments section below.

Note: This is purely a random call taken by the author.