In a quest to win their first match in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) ground on Wednesday evening in Match 14 of the competition.
Mumbai have traditionally been slow starters in the IPL, though they lead Kolkata 22-7 in head-to-head clashes. This season, however, they have looked a bit out of sorts, especially in the bowling department. Jasprit Bumrah seems to have lacked decent support in bowling, whereas Suryakumar Yadav's temporary absence has impacted the batting.
Suryakumar has recovered from his wrist injury, but whether he will play is uncertain at this point. if he does not, then Anmolpreet Singh might game another game. Nevertheless, all eyes will be on 19-year-old Tilak Verma, who has been a revelation with bat this season, along with Ishan Kishan's panache at the top. The Mumbai think tank, however, will be concerned over their power-packed middle-order, which is yet to put up a significant show.
Kolkata, on the other hand, have won two of their previous three matches convincingly. Their bowlers, especially Umesh Yadav with the new ball, have been among the talking points of the season. They will also have Pat Cummins for this game, who may replace Tim Southee in the XI. However, considering his recent form, KKR may take play both men. In that case Sam Billings will miss out and Sheldon Jackson will come in as wicketkeeper.
The spinners in the KKR line-up will enjoy the big outfield of the Pune ground, where toss is not as important as some other venues.
KKR's batting has been patchy so far. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana are yet to score big. However, Andre Russell seems to be getting back to his hitting zone, which is a huge sigh of relief for them. Cummins' arrival will also add lower-order depth.
Likely XIs
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Anmolpreet Singh/Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi
Fantasy tips
- Rohit likes to enjoy batting against KKR. This is an ideal game for him to get return to runs.
- Shreyas is due for a big score too. He failed to capitalise on his starts in the last two games. Back him to get some runs in this game.
- Against an out of sorts Mumbai middle order, the Varun-Narine pair can be more than handy. You may consider picking both in your fantasy XI.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Match 14 of IPL 2022 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will start at 7.30 PM IST on March 27. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.