11 May,2024 11:32 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
Andre Russell in action (Pic: AFP)
In red-hot form, two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to seal an IPL 2024 playoff berth for the first time in three years when they take on the struggling Mumbai Indians in their final home match of the season on Saturday.
The return of their two-time title-winning skipper Gautam Gambhir as team mentor has done wonders for the side which has found ways to win games from difficult situations this season.
Sitting at the top of the 10-team standings with eight wins from 11 matches, another win will guarantee them the playoff berth as the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise will look to end on a high, its campaign at the home venue of Eden Gardens.
Gambhir's ploy to back Sunil Narine as an opener along with World No.2 T20I batter Phil Salt has been a masterstroke.
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The duo have scored bulk of the team's runs, giving it the perfect platform in power-plays to post six 200-plus totals from eight matches batting first.
With 32 sixes to his name, Narine is also the second in the list behind Abhishek Sharma (35).
The consistency with which Narine keeps churning out high scores match after match has been phenomenal.
With one century and three fifties, the Trinidadian has also been their leading run-getter, amassing 461 runs at a strike-rate of 183.66. Englishman Salt has scored 429 runs at a strike-rate of 183.33.
The duo's explosive form has also meant that the likes of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh, who have been their designated finishers, have not got enough opportunities. Their performance has also covered up the team's bowling profligacy, particularly that of Mitchell Starc.
The young Angkrish Raghuvanshi at No.3 has also proved his worth, while Ramandeep Singh has been spectacular at the death.
In contrast, five-time champions Mumbai Indians, under Hardik Pandya, became the first team to be knocked out after Sunrisers Hyderabad demolished Lucknow Super Giants the other day.
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Coming on the back of a morale-boosting win over SRH, MI will look to salvage some pride.
Fresh from his knocks of 56 and 102 not out, Suryakumar Yadav has been in scintillating form which augurs well for Team India ahead of the T20 World cup in less than a month.
At the same time, Team India fans will hope that Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya also return among runs.
The India captain has four single-digit scores and one 11 in last five games, while Pandya's best this season has been 46. The struggling all-rounder has failed to cross 10 in his last six innings.
Pandya would be desperate to strike form given that it would be crucial to India's chances in the T20 World Cup next month.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (c), KS Bharat (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Sherfane Rutherford, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Chetan Sakariya, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Sakib Hussain, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gus Atkinson, Allah Ghazanfar and Phil Salt.
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Shreyas Gopal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Anshul Kamboj, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Mohammad Nabi, Shams Mulani, Naman Dhir, Shivalik Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Arjun Tendulkar, Nuwan Thushara, Tilak Varma, Harvik Desai (wk), Nehal Wadhera and Luke Wood.
WICKETKEEPERS: Phil Salt (VC), Ishan Kishan
BATTERS: Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer
ALL ROUNDERS: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (C)
BOWLERS: Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan (wk), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghvanshi, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy
MI captain Hardik Pandya wins toss and elects to bowl first against KKR.
11:08 PM: 6/0 (1 Over)
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan begin the chase for Mumbai Indians of 158 runs. KKR need wickets at the moment early in this innings.
10:58 PM: 157/7 (16 Overs)
Ramandeep Singh gets six from the last ball of the innings as Bumraj gives away just 10 from the last one. Rinku Singh failed to impress in the last over against Bumrah.
10:33 PM: 122/5 (12.3 Overs)
Nitish Rana departs as Tilak Varma's fielding brilliance effects a much-needed run-out. KKR lose their fifth wicket and Rinku Singh comes in now.
10:22 PM: 97/4 (10 Overs)
Andre Russell gets going and MI have to anyhow prevent the run flow. Nitish Rana and Russell both looking to attack.
10:10 PM: 61/3 (7 Overs)
Venkatesh Iyer on fire as he is batting on 38 off 18 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes against the hot firing MI bowlers. Hardik Pandya comes into the attack the stumps now.
9:58 PM: 45/3 (5 Overs)
Shreyas Iyer gets bowled by Akash Kamboj. MI bowlers on fire at the moment as KKR captain walks back and it is Nitish Rana who comes in the middle now.
9:40 PM: 26/2 (3.2 Overs)
Jasprit Bumrah continues the attack as Mumbai Indians look to keep the pressure on their opposition. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer in the middle now.
9:23 PM: 10/2 (1.1 Overs)
Philip Salt 6 (5) gets bowled by Nuwan Thushara. KKR off to a bad start as in the next over Sunil Narine gets clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
8:56 PM: Match to kick off at 9:15 PM
The match will begin at 9:15 PM and it will be a 16-over contest between the two teams. The toss will take place at 9 PM.
8:30 PM: Inspection to be held at 8:45
Inspection time for the umpires is 8:45 PM and there is to a shorter game tonight due to the time lost so far.
8:00 PM: Umpire inspect pitch
The umpires are out for inspection looking at the conditions at the moment. Hopefully, the sky stays clear throughout the evening.
7:46 PM: Covers being removed
Rain finally stops, the covers are being removed. The Eden ground staff will take some time to dry the surface, after which the toss could be held. At the moment, a full match tonight looks impossible.
7:36 PM: Rain persists
The rain has not stopped, as a result of which the match has been put on hold here. The players, meanwhile, are relaxing in their dressing rooms.
