Kolkata Knight Riders are on a six-match losing spree and will want to get back to winning ways as they take the field in their last home game this season. They were on top of the table when IPL 2019 began, winning four of their first five matches but have terribly lost the plot. Mumbai Indians on the other hand are on a roll as they have seven wins from 11 games. They defeated high-flying CSK last time around at Chepauk, which will give them the much-needed confidence as they take on KKR, a team they have traditionall done well against.
Out of the 23 games that the two teams have played against each other, MI have emerged victorious 18 times, and with the Eden track playing almost similar to the one at Wankhede, they will walk into this game as favourites.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Quinton de Kock (9.5 credits)
De Kock was coming into the IPL in fine form, and he has carried that forward into the edition as well. He is MI's highest run-scorer with 393 runs in 11 innings, with three fifties, and against an inconsistent KKR seam attack, he will want to carry forward his form.
Batsman: Rohit Sharma (9.5 credits)
Rohit Sharma has a stunning record at Eden gardens - he has a hundred to his name in the IPL here, besides his highest ODI knock of 264 as well - and will fancy his chances on his favourite deck. He is accustomed to
Kolkata Knight Riders are on a six-match losing spree and will want to get back to winning ways as they take the field in their last home game this season. They were on top of the table when IPL 2019 began, winning four of their first five matches but have terribly lost the plot. Mumbai Indians on the other hand are on a roll as they have seven wins from 11 games. They defeated high-flying CSK last time around at Chepauk, which will give them the much-needed confidence as they take on KKR, a team they have traditionall done well against.
Out of the 23 games that the two teams have played against each other, MI have emerged victorious 18 times, and with the Eden track playing almost similar to the one at Wankhede, they will walk into this game as favourites.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Quinton de Kock (9.5 credits)
De Kock was coming into the IPL in fine form, and he has carried that forward into the edition as well. He is MI's highest run-scorer with 393 runs in 11 innings, with three fifties, and against an inconsistent KKR seam attack, he will want to carry forward his form.
Batsman: Rohit Sharma (9.5 credits)
Rohit Sharma has a stunning record at Eden gardens - he has a hundred to his name in the IPL here, besides his highest ODI knock of 264 as well - and will fancy his chances on his favourite deck. He is accustomed to batting on flat tracks - having played at the Wankhede - and with the Eden wicket assisting the batters, the opener will want to cash in.
All-rounder: Andre Russell (10.5 credits)
Russell has been the only positive for KKR this season. He has led KKR to wins from improbable positions and will once again be the key in the death overs. He has amassed 406 runs in the IPL thus far from ten innings, with a strike-rate of 209.27. With the ball, he has been expensive on occasions but has picked up eight wickets, which makes him a must-pick.
Bowler:Jasprit Bumrah (9 credits)
Capable of stalling the run-flow as well as picking crucial wickets across the innings, Bumrah has been the star player for India and MI over the seasons. He hardly relies on the pitch conditions, and rather focuses on accuracy and precision, which has led to his rise. In IPL 2019, he has 13 wickets, but more importantly has bowled with an economy rate of just 6.19.
Uncapped Player: Nitish Rana (9 credits)
If there is one player who has looked positive this league beside Russell for KKR, it is Rana. He has hit three fiftties thus far, scoring 318 runs in ten innings and is the second highest run-scorer for KKR. He smashed an unbeaten 85 recently against RCB, and will look to add on as he plays in this do-or-die game.
Captain: Andre Russell
Vice-captain: Rohit Sharma
Predicted Playing XI:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c, wk), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Piyush Chawla, Prithvi Raj, Prasidh Krishna
Mumbai Indians: Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Evin Lewis, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Anukul Roy, Rahul Chahar
