IPL 2017 | Qualifier 2 Preview: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

05/19/2017

Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight for a spot in the final. While KKR will also be eager to avenge their defeats to MI in the group stage, the Rohit Sharma-led MI will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to RPS in Qualifier 1.

Both MI and KKR are in line to win a record third IPL crown. Meanwhile, it will be two-season-old RPS's first time in the final, to be played on May 21.

Head to Head

MI lead 15-5.

Last meeting

Mumbai beat Kolkata by 9 runs, thanks to Ambati Rayudu's quickfire 63(37) and Hardik Pandya's sensational bowling (4-0-22-2), where he conceded just 8 runs in his last 2 overs.

Fan Predictions

As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the game. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.

Who will win?

A. MI B. KKR

Mumbai Indians have a whopping 75% win record against KKR, winning 15 of their 20 meetings. Moreover, in IPL 2017, Mumbai beat Kolkata in both their matches in the group stage. However, KKR have won both the matches they have played at the Chinnaswamy this year, including their victory against SRH in the Eliminator. The toss could prove crucial, considering the forecast of rain. Taking into consideration the head to head record and IPL 2017 form, we predict MI to beat KKR to reach the final. Fans Predict: The fans are with us on this one, as 61% think MI will win.

Which skipper will score more runs?

A. Gautam Gambhir B. Rohit Sharma

Gambhir is 2nd in the Orange cap race this season with 486 runs at an average of 44 while Rohit has scored 283 runs at an average of 23. However, Rohit has scored 166 runs in his last 6 games compared to Gambhir's 110. In their last match, Gambhir scored a match winning 32* while Rohit managed to score just 1 run. We predict Gambhir to outscore Rohit Sharma.Fans Predict: The fans are with us on this one as well, with 65% saying Gambhir will outscore Rohit.

Predicted XI

Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel (wk), Rohit Sharma (C), Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Karn Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.

Despite their loss against RPS in Qualifier 1, MI are expected to play the same XI.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Robin Uthappa (wk), Chris Lynn, Gautam Gambhir (C), Yusuf Pathan, Ishank Jaggi, Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Umesh Yadav, Trent Boult.

In the absence of injured Manish Pandey, KKR is expected to persist with Ishank Jaggi who played in the last match. However, we think Kuldeep Yadav will replace Piyush Chawla who was expensive in the last game.

Key Players

Jasprit Bumrah (MI): Bumrah has provided important breakthroughs throughout the season and with KKR relying heavily on their top order, he just might be the key to victory for MI.

Nathan Coulter-Nile (KKR): Nathan Coulter-Nile delivered a man of the match performance against SRH in the previous game and has taken 14 wickets in just 7 matches this season, including 4 three-wicket hauls. KKR will rely on him to provide the breakthrough at the top and he would certainly be the player to watch out for.