The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are all set to welcome the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on May 11, 7:30 pm. KKR are essentially through to the playoffs, sitting pretty atop the points table with 16 points and an A1 net run rate of +1.453 to their name. They’d be high on confidence after notching up three wins on the trot.
KKR are chasing a fourth win in a row and ninth overall this season, and if they move to 18 points, then they will formally have the “Q” next to their name. However, if they don’t, the two remaining league games away from home could feature some slightly nervous travelers. Ideally, they would like to firm up their place in the playoffs here and boost their chances of a top-two finish in what is their last home game.
KKR vs MI Previous Performances
KKR are essentially through to the playoffs, sitting pretty atop the points table with 16 points and an A1 net run rate of +1.453 to their name. They’d be high on confidence after notching up three wins on the trot.
On the contrary, MI have had a gravely subpar season, managing to win only four out of their 12 games so far. They will be striving to redeem themselves and seek vengeance for the 24-run defeat they endured at the hands of the current table-toppers on their home turf just a week ago.
KKR vs MI Head to Head
MI have always been their bogey team with a lopsided win-loss record – it’s 23-10 to MI overall and 7-3 to them at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens – but since KKR’s first win in 12 years at MI’s Wankhede Stadium home last week, and KKR’s superior form this season, they will have the upper hand going into them game. Kolkata Knight Riders 10 – 23 Mumbai Indians.
On May 3, KKR broke a 12-year jinx at Wankhede Stadium, when they recovered from 57 for 5 to beat MI by 24 runs. Venkatesh Iyer and impact player Manish Pandey dragged KKR to 169 before the spinners, Andre Russell and Mitchell Starc ran through MI.
| Matches Played | 33 |
| Won by Kolkata Knight Riders | 10 |
| Won by Mumbai Indians | 23 |
| No Result | 0 |
KKR vs MI Pitch Report
Although Delhi Capitals were restricted to 153, which the Knight Riders chased down in 16.3 overs, high scores have been the flavor of this season in Kolkata. Early in the season SRH came close to KKR’s 208, RR chased down a target of 224, RCB fell one short of KKR’s 222 while Punjab Kings mowed down a target of 262 in 18.4 overs. Another high-scoring game is on the cards. Although it has been raining in Kolkata and disrupted KKR’s arrival in the city, the forecast around the match time looks promising.
Runs have been abundant at Eden Gardens this year, and there’s little indication that the trend will shift. Out of the six games played up to this point in Kolkata, teams batting second have secured triumph in four, whereas the two losses suffered by the chasing sides (SRH and RCB) were by hair-breadth margins of 4 runs and 1 run, respectively.
Dew often makes its presence felt later in the night. There is an excessive heat warning in Kolkata with the temperature hovering around the 40°C during the day. The humidity will play a major factor as well. Expect a batting-friendly surface, but rain this past week in Kolkata may make the outfield sluggish. More rain is expected on Saturday, so chances of a curtailed game or even a washout can’t be ruled out.
KKR vs MI Team news and Impact Player strategy
Why change a winning combination? KKR have been successful being ultra-aggressive with the bat, and the one day they didn’t – against MI – their bowlers bailed them out.
This is MI’s first game since their elimination was confirmed. There are no suggestions of big names being rested, but if Bumrah is, then Akash Madhwal is the likeliest replacement. Allrounder Anshul Kamboj should get another game despite conceding 10.5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on debut. MI did not need an impact player in that game as they won comfortably, but Piyush Chawla or Shreyas Gopal for a batter is the likely swap if needed.
KKR vs MI Players In the spotlight – Mitchell Starc and Rohit Sharma
As the playoffs approach, KKR will hope Mitchell Starc, the winner of two ODI World Cups and one T20 World Cup, brings his elite tournament-winning mentality to the franchise. He has been KKR’s most expensive player – not only when it comes to the paycheque, but also in terms of economy rate (11.37) – but his experience has helped young bowlers like Harshit Rana and Arora, as they have said during IPL 2024.
His 4 for 33 against MI last week was his first big performance, and if the best version of Starc turns up, KKR will have all their holes plugged.
Rohit Sharma, who will take one of two opening spots for India at the T20 World Cup, has scores of 36, 6, 8, 4, 11 and 4 since his century against Chennai Super Kings. If you take that century out, he has averaged only 20.45 in the other 11 games. The low average could be a factor in his new way of batting in the powerplay, and his strike rate of 152.77 reflects that, but five low scores in a row in a tournament where most of the other openers are feasting against the new ball is a concern.
KKR vs MI Vital Stats that matters
- MI have lost nine of their last 13 away games (across 2023 and 2024), and have the lowest away win percentage (30.7) of all the teams in this period.
- MI’s overseas players have the second-poorest bowling average (43.6) and economy rate (11.04) and the second-poorest batting average (21.1) in IPL 2024.
- Rohit has been dismissed by Narine ten times in 25 T20s, averaging 18.7 and scoring at 107.5 against the spinner.
- Narine has a batting strike rate of 117 between overs 1-3 in the powerplay, but it shoots up to 245 between overs 4-6. Should MI use Bumrah early against him? Bumrah bowled overs 2, 14, 18 and 20 the last time they met.
KKR vs MI Probable Playing XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders :
Phil Salt (wk.), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy.
Impact Substitute: Vaibhav Arora
Mumbai Indians
MI XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk.), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Anshul Kamboj.
Impact Substitute : Nuwan Thushara
KKR vs MI Fantasy Playing XI : Phil Salt (wk.), Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah
Probable Best Players of the Match
Probable Best Batter
Sunil Narine: He could be the best batter in the upcoming game against the Mumbai Indians. With 461 runs in his last nine games, Narine has been in blinding form, and his knock could be pivotal against MI.
Probable Best Bowler
Jasprit Bumrah: He could be the best bowler in the upcoming game. With 18 wickets in his last 12 matches, Bumrah has been brilliant for MI and his spell could be key for both sides for polarizing reasons in the upcoming game.
KKR vs MI Match Prediction
Scenario 1
Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and opt to bowl.
Powerplay: 55-65
MI: 205-215
Kolkata Knight Riders win the match.
Scenario 2
Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss and opt to bat.
Powerplay: 70-80
First innings: 220-240
Kolkata Knight Riders win the match.