Knights eager to end the jinx against MI : Preview
If seven consecutive wins doesn’t make you complacent, nothing in the world will. But this is exactly what the Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has warned his fellow teammates against. The Knights’ skipper thinks that the team would go back to its habit of under-performing in crucial matches once complacency seeps into the team. The man from Delhi who calls Calcutta as his “home” is a confident and satisfied man, but not complacent. As the Knights take on the team from Mumbai today, they will be a confident lot after some breathtaking performances in the last few matches which has seen them rise to the second spot in no time!
But the Mumbai Indians will be a cautious team taking on Shah Rukh’s boys who are on a roll. Despite the fact that the Knights have almost never managed to outplay the mighty Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh’s boys will have to look out for the New Knights searching for a New Dawn. Going into the match, both teams are evenly placed with Mumbai having an upper hand because of their brilliant run against the Knight Riders. But past is past and the Knights, given the form they are in, will surely look to minimize their woes against this particular team.
Head-to-head
Mumbai have outplayed Kolkata in seven of the eight matches the teams have played between themselves, with KKR squeezing out a victory in one match.
Played – 8; MI – 7; KKR – 1
Players to look out for:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Gautam Gmbhir : His form speaks volumes of his class. Add to that some clever captaincy in the middle that has fetched crucial points for the franchise. He needs to carry on his form with the bat and his inspirational captaincy will do the rest. He has done enough to infuse confidence in the youngsters who now need to step up and do justice to his faith in them.
Sunil Narine : Surely, the man to look out for this season. He has been a tricky mission for all batsmen which has helped him to earn the goods for his side. The slow and low Eden pitch will make him all the more dangerous against the Sachin Tendulkars.
Brett Lee : He has been doing a decent job with the ball, restricting the batsmen when needed. KKR will look up to him for the early breakthroughs, and if he can pick up both the openers in his first spell, it will be an added bonus for the team.
Mumbai Indians
Sachin Tendulkar : The state government and the CAB have arranged a felicitation ceremony in honor of this great man before his maiden match at the Eden after completing his century of centuries. On the contrary, KKR will look to uproot his stumps as early as possible to let the crowd see him in the dressing room for most of the time. Can he outdo the KKR bowlers? – That remains to be seen.
Lasith Malinga : He is now the second-highest wicket-taker in this season of the IPL with 20 scalps. The Knights need to be wary of the lethal “slingers” that this man may unleash any moment. He is the main pacer in the Mumbai team and surely, a prized one!
Dwayne Smith : His has been a story of rising to the hero’s spot all of a sudden. He has proved that he has everything in himself to be a game-changer and can provide the goods as and when required. His rivary with fellow West Indian Sunil Narine will be the contest of the evening.
Prediction
It’s really tough to call. Going by the strengths and form, KKR definitely, are the favorites. But the Mumbai Indians’ impressive run against this team may well provide the adequate confidence to sneak out a victory.