3 things MI needs to do right to defeat KKR at Eden Gardens in IPL 2024
Round 2 of one of IPL's oldest rivalries between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be played at the iconic Eden Gardens on May 11. The two teams met less than 10 days back at the Wankhede Stadium and the rampaging KKR bulldozed the struggling MI unit by 24 runs in a relatively low-scoring affair.
Batting first, KKR managed only 169 in 19.5 overs before their bowlers took centerstage to dismantle MI for 145 all-out in the 19th over. However, KKR still trails MI 10-23 in head-to-head meetings.
Coming to the overall season, it has been one to forget for MI, losing 8 out of their 12 outings thus far, to be the first team eliminated from playoff contention. Meanwhile, KKR has been the exact opposite, winning eight out of 11 to be on top of the points table.
While MI has only pride to play for in this encounter, KKR can get a stranglehold on a top-two finish with a win. With a jam-packed atmosphere expected at the Eden Gardens, MI must play out of their skins to produce the upset.
On that note, let us look at three things MI must do to defeat KKR in today's clash at Kolkata.
#1 Break the KKR openers' Eden Gardens connection
Not many would have predicted the success of KKR being predicated on an opening partnership between Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. Yet, that is how things have panned out for the table-toppers, especially at home.
For starters, the duo are KKR's two leading run-scorers with 461 and 429 runs at identical strike rates of over 183, respectively.
Those numbers shoot up further at Eden Gardens, with Salt averaging an incredible 68.80 at a strike rate of 187 and Narine averaging almost 43 at a strike rate of 173.2 in 6 innings.
The two openers have been paramount to KKR winning 4 out of their 6 home games, with the side scoring 200+ even in the 2 losses. MI did well to remove both batters for under 10 in their first meeting this season, resulting in them restricting KKR to a below-par 169.
However, the story could be different at the pair's beloved Eden Gardens turf if the MI opening bowlers are not on the money from the get-go. Skipper Hardik Pandya will be well served to use his ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for a minimum of 2 or even 3 overs against Narine and Salt rather than saving him for the end of the innings.
# 2 Weathering the KKR spin duo storm
KKR's spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy have been at their best as a tandem in the last few outings. Incidentally, the duo decided the outcome of the first meeting against MI, with their match-defining spells.
Despite chasing only 170, the MI batters came unstuck against the spin twins, who combined for figures of 4/44 in 8 overs. While Narine has been in terrific form throughout the tournament, Varun has found his mojo off-late.
The West Indian giant has 14 wickets at an average of 20.78 and an economy of under 6.70 in 11 games. Meanwhile, Varun has rebounded from a slow start to sit on 16 scalps in 11 outings.
How MI tackles these two will be a major deciding factor, with all of Suryakumar Yadav's expertise against spin potentially coming in handy.
#3 The 'SKY' Factor
Suryakumar Yadav has always had it in him for his former franchise, KKR, since joining MI in 2018.
The 33-year-old averages 48.40 at a strike rate of 149.3 against KKR in 11 innings and the figures only get better in wins. Surya averages almost 60 at a strike rate of over 150 in MI's 7 wins against KKR since 2018.
Just in this season, MI have hinged on his heroics for their 4 wins, with the batter averaging an astonishing 77.30 at a strike rate of over 185. Such is Surya's impact on MI's chances overall and against KKR.
His latest knock of 102* off 51 deliveries against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) single-handedly won MI the game from dire straits. With a half-century and century in his last 2 innings, Surya is back to his best form and will be massive for MI to avoid a clean sweep against KKR this season.