IPL 2021: KKR vs MI Preview – Kolkata aim to overcome their bogey team, Mumbai

After losing their opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians is all set to face Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on April 13. Kolkata and Mumbai are among only a few teams which have won the IPL title multiple times. But, their rivalry has been slightly one-sided until now, with Mumbai winning 21 out of the 27 matches between the two teams.

KKR would have the advantage of having the momentum with them after starting their 2021 campaign with a 10-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. Looking at the two teams it seems quite obvious that this contest could be a cracker. KKR will be aware of the challenges which will come in front of them when they are up against the quality of Mumbai players and it will be a good test of their skills.

Match Info

IPL 2021 Match 4 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians

Venue:  MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Head to head

Stat Attack

Kolkata have lost 21 matches against Mumbai, most against any opponent in the IPL.

Sunil Narine has snared Rohit Sharma six times in the IPL, joint-most by any bowler.

Jasprit Bumrah vs Andre Russell in IPL – 44 balls, 34 runs, 3 outs, 14.67 average, 129.41 strike rate.

Team News

KKR

Captain Eoin Morgan opted for Shakib Al Hasan ahead of Sunil Narine for the first match. It should be noted that it was expected that Shakib, with better batting capabilities, will get a chance ahead of Narine anyway. They are likely to stick with their other two overseas players Andre Russell and Pat Cummins, who bowled crucial spells during their first match. Harbhajan Singh, who bowled only one over in the previous match is the only player whose place could be re-considered. If KKR think of replacing him, then Kuldeep Yadav could be brought into the XI.

MI

Chris Lynn made his debut for Mumbai in the previous match, in the absence of Quinton de Kock. If de Kock is brought back into the side, then the South African will replace Lynn, who had scored 49 runs in the previous match against RCB. The other three overseas picks were Trent Boult, Kieron Pollard and Marco Jensen, out of which the former two will definitely retain their place in the side. Jensen, too, could be retained after returning with figures of 2 for 28 from four overs on his IPL debut. Mumbai does have experienced overseas bowlers like Adam Milne and Nathan Coulter-Nile in their mix if they wish to replace Jensen.

Probable XI