Kolkata Knight Riders begin their IPL 2020 campaign against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi. MI is coming into the fixture on the back of a defeat against Chennai Super Kings in the opener.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Kolkata Knight Riders do not hold a great head-to-head record against Mumbai Indians
- In IPL 2020 season, KKR has one of the best squads on paper
- MI was beaten by CSK in their first match of the season and would be eager to bounce back against KKR
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season gets underway for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as they take on defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday. The head-to-head battles between these two sides have mostly gone one way, which is in the favour of Mumbai but Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik would be keen to change that this time around.
While most franchises have struggled to have their Australia and English players ready and available for the start of the season 13, KKR will reportedly have all of their Australia and England internationals available from the first game itself.
The likes of Pat Cummins, Tom Banton and Eoin Morgan look set to make their bow while all the eyes will be on Andre Russell who had his infamous spat with skipper Karthik over his playing position last season.
For Mumbai, there were plenty of departments that didn't click against Chennai Super Kings in the opener. Rohit Sharma failed to fire at the top while Hardik Pandya didn't bowl a single over, putting additional pressure on the mainstream bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult only got one wicket each which is a cause of concern for the franchise.
The team line-up is still expected to be more or less the same, though if Nathan Coulter-Nile is deemed fit, he will make it to the playing XI in place of James Pattinson as the former's all-round credentials do make the team a lot more balanced.
Over the course of the last 12 seasons, Mumbai Indians have won 19 matches against Kolkata Knight Riders while the latter side has emerged triumphant just 6 times. This time, however, things could change considering the investments KKR have done in their team.
It would be interesting to see which opening pair KKR opts for in the match against MI. Shubman Gill had done well opening the innings last season but captain Karthik could be tempted to use Sunil Narine as pinch hitter early in the game. Tom Banton is an exciting young batting talent who could be utilized up top alongside Gill too.
Kuldeep Yadav would be cherishing bowling in a big ground like Abu Dhabi after having a dismal showing in the 2019 edition of the league. While it all looks promising on paper, it remains to be seen how this KKR squad performs on the field.
Match Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders to beat Mumbai Indians
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