The Mumbai Indians (MI) haven’t had the start they would have wanted, after having a bad last season. Losing their first two matches, they stand at the 8th position on the points table, with an NRR of -1.029. MI is gearing up to face KKR in their third outing, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. On the other hand, the Kolkata Knight Riders have found success and stand 2nd on the points table. Here is a detailed pre-match report of the 14th match of IPL 2022, MI vs KKR.
MI probable XI
Despite the Mumbai openers finding form in the first two matches, the remaining batsmen could not deliver it. Tilak Varma was the exception in the last match against RR, putting up a valiant effort of 61 runs of 33 balls in a losing cause. Foreign players Tim David and Daniel Sams haven’t been very impressive either, both performing poorly. Mumbai will be relying on Jasprit Bumrah to get the required breakthroughs during crucial stages of the match. Suryakumar Yadav is expected to make his first appearance this season, with Anmolpreet Singh warming the bench. It will be interesting to see if any one of Fabian Allen and Riley Merideth will make it to the playing XI.
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Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Anmolpreet Singh/Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Tim David/Fabian Allen, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi
KKR probable XI
After a total batting failure against RCB in their second match, KKR has bounced back against PBKS, winning the match by 6 wickets. So far this season, Umesh Yadav has been their MVP, picking up 8 wickets at an economy of 5.00, causing a lot of damage to the teams in the initial overs. On the other hand, Andre Russel has found his form against PBKS, scoring 70 runs in 32 balls, which included 8 sixes and 2 boundaries. Reports suggest that Pat Cummins is fully fit to play the match against MI and might replace Tim Southee. Sunil Narine will be crucial in stopping Rohit Sharma and Pollard from exploding.
Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee/Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Head-to-Head
MI and KKR have each other on 29 occasions, out of which the Mumbai franchise has won 22 matches, leaving only 7 matches to KKR’s name. Rohit Sharma is the top scorer against KKR, scoring 1015 runs at an average close to 47. His run marathon against KKR also includes a century and 6 half-centuries. The top bowler has been Sunil Narine, picking 22 wickets against MI. Though the Hitman has a good record against KKR, he has struggled against the mystery Caribbean bowler. Narine also has a good record against his fellow West Indies player, Kieron Pollard.
Venue Records
The MCA Stadium in Pune has favoured the defining side in the two matches played here this season. Out of the 40 IPL matches played here, 20 matches have been won by the team batting first, while the other half was won by the second batting teams. KKR has a great record at MCA Stadium, winning all the 6 matches they have played here, while MI won 4 out of 5 matches here.
What to expect
The average first innings score at MCA Pune is 161. With the batting prowess both the teams have, the team batting first is expected to put up a score close to 180 in their first innings. In the last couple of days, the teams defending have won matches. Despite the dew factor, that comes into play in the latter part of the match, the bowlers have been doing a great job in restricting the chasing teams. The Pune stadium will have lesser dew compared to the Wankhede.
Top performers
Rohit Sharma is expected to be the top scorer of the match, with Shreyas Iyer being the star for KKR. From the bowling department, Bumrah (MI) and Sunil Narine (KKR) are the reliable picks. Andra Russel and Ishan Kishan are the other players who must be on the lookout.
Enjoy the MI vs KKR match and stay tuned for more IPL 2022 updates.
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