With only 3 wins in 10 matches, the Mumbai Indians are currently going through a tough phase. They have only 6 points to their name and sit at the 9th position in the tournament table. Another loss here would greatly complicate their chances of advancing to the next stage. It was yet another mediocre performance from the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, managing to score just 144 runs. Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma will need to provide the team with a strong start if MI wants to achieve a better result. Both of them have had their struggles so far, and we wouldn’t recommend betting on them in their current form. Except for a couple of half-centuries, Suryakumar Yadav has been striving for success, as has Tim David. However, the reasons for their failures are different. Yadav found success when he got going but often lost his wicket prematurely. David, on the other hand, seems to have pushed too hard to change the situation. Hardik Pandya has been a major disappointment with the bat and has been too expensive with the ball. Tilak Varma will be a middle-order player worth keeping an eye on. As for the bowling, except for Jasprit Bumrah, none of the bowlers have managed to win a match. MI’s bowling lineup is one of the worst in the entire IPL. This is due to the misuse of resources by Hardik Pandya and the coaching staff. This is another aspect of the team that won’t change overnight, so MI might face difficulties in the next match as well.
The Kolkata Knight Riders have won 6 out of 9 matches played so far. As a result, the team currently sits comfortably in the top 4. However, with 5 teams within 2 points, KKR would like to win here and create some separation from the rest of the pack. Much will depend on the performance of KKR’s opening pair, Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. This season, the duo has led the team to some flying starts. Salt is the team’s top scorer with 392 runs, closely followed by Narine with 372 runs. Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer have contributed with some valuable knocks, while Andre Russell and Rinku Singh are ideal finishers who can lower the order. Considering all factors, KKR’s squad is currently much stronger than MI’s. KKR’s spinners have also performed well: Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have bowled impressively, taking 11 wickets each. On the other hand, the seamers have had to work a bit harder. With Harshal Patel suspended for this match, Mitchell Starc is the only experienced quick bowler. Patel’s absence in this match could disrupt KKR’s plans and force them to rely on a bowling unit that’s even less experienced than usual.
