Ah well, Rajasthan Royals are finally back on track. RR delivered a dominant performance against Lucknow Super Giants, chasing down a massive target of 221 with remarkable ease.
Yashasvi Jaiswal finally found some much-needed rhythm at the top, smashing a quickfire 43 off just 23 balls. But the true star of the night was the sensational 15-year-old six-hitting phenomenon, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who played an absolutely breathtaking knock of 93 from only 38 deliveries.
And somehow, the youngster ended up recording his slowest IPL half-century, reaching 50 in 23 balls. Yes, calling that “slow” sounds completely ridiculous — but that is already the standard and reputation he has built for himself at just 15 years of age.
And let’s not forget, he is currently the Orange Cap holder too. What Vaibhav is doing this season is simply extraordinary.
Onto tonight’s clash, and it is yet another must-win game for Kolkata Knight Riders as they face a Mumbai Indians side that now seems determined to spoil other teams’ playoff hopes.
The IPL playoff race genuinely has not been this chaotic and entertaining in a long time, and tonight’s matchup promises to be another thriller. An in-form KKR side takes on an out-of-form MI team, but despite Mumbai’s struggles, they remain a dangerous side with absolutely nothing to lose.
And for KKR, the equation is brutally simple — lose tonight, and they are officially eliminated from the playoff race.
Expected Playing 11:
- Ajinkhya Rahane (C)
- Finn Allen
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK)
- Cameron Green
- Rinku Singh
- Manish Pandey
- Sunil Narine
- Anukul Roy
- Kartik Tyagi
- Saurabh Dube
- Vaibhav Arora
Impact Player- Blessing Muzarabani
MI:
- Ryan Rickelton (WK)
- Rohit Sharma
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Naman Dhir
- Tilak Verma
- Hardik Pandya (C)
- Will Jacks
- Shardul Thakur
- Corbin Bosch
- Deepak Chahar
- Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Player- AM Ghazanfar
Mumbai Indians receive a massive boost tonight as their stalwarts — captain Hardik Pandya and vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav — return to the side.
Hardik Pandya makes his comeback after missing nearly 20 days of action, with his last appearance coming against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk.
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 36 |
| KKR Won- | 11 |
| MI Won- | 25 |
| No Result- | 0 |
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
The match at Eden Gardens will be played on pitch No. 4. It has hosted only one game this season, the day game against Rajasthan Royals, when KKR successfully chased down 156. Overall, out of four completed matches in Kolkata this season, two wins have come batting first and two wins from chasing. The weather is expected to be cloudy on Wednesday evening.
-ESPN CricInfo
Prediction:
Well, Mumbai Indians are playing the role of spoiler perfectly right now. And as we mentioned in their previous match preview, a team with nothing to lose can become incredibly dangerous — and MI proved exactly that when they defeated Punjab Kings in Dharamshala in an absolute thriller.
Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, have not enjoyed the best record at home this season, nor have they traditionally had great success against Mumbai Indians in the IPL. That history could once again play a major role tonight.
MI would love nothing more than to ruin KKR’s playoff hopes after the impressive comeback Kolkata have made in recent weeks. And with Mumbai now playing freely, without any pressure of qualification, they could become a very difficult side to stop.
That is why we are backing Mumbai Indians to win this clash.
If you want to see Rohit Sharma bat against Sunil Narine tonight in one of India’s oldest Stadiums, then tune into JioHotstar at 7:30 PM IST.
Until next time!
Thank you.
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