IPL 2017 MI vs KKR Qualifier 2. Will KKR finally trump Mumbai?

Kolkata Knight Riders are all geared up to take on Mumbai Indians and M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru today, May 19. Who will have an advantage in the match?

Mumbai has won 15 out of 20 head-to-head matches against Gautam Gambhir’s side. Even in IPL 2017, Kolkata lost both games that it played against Mumbai in the group stages. The second defeat resulted in Kolkata Knight Riders losing its spot in the top two teams going into the playoffs.

 Mumbai had a good start in the tournament and have consistently been one of the top four teams this season. The same can be said about Kolkata Knight Riders where players rose to the occasion whenever demanded. 

However, the threat of rain looms large over the teams. As per weather reports at the Chinnaswamy Stadium rain accompanied with thunderstorms are expected in the night around 9 pm in Bangalore.

The M Chinnaswamy stadium’s pitch has become more favourable for bowlers this year. The highest score this year was 160 as compared to 248 last year with an average first innings score of 155. Four times out of seven the chasing team has won this year. On Wednesday, spinners kept the batsmen in check in the first innings before the rain came down. Mumbai will bring back Harbhajan Singh, who has picked up seven wickets in the middle overs, the most among Mumbai bowlers.

The middle order of Kolkata has been weakened by the departure of Manish Pandey. The Kolkata batsmen need to play a more steady game, Robin Uthappa in particular, for them to make an impact. Many experts were unhappy with the outcome of Wednesday’s game, claiming the decision to weigh heavily on KKR’s side. 

Although KKR will come into the match with the satisfaction of having won their last game, they need to use the bowlers to their advantage against a Mumbai side looking for revenge for having lost their previous match.
 

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