IPL 2018 KKR v MI: 5 player battles to look forward to between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians

As far as Mumbai Indians are concerned, they couldn’t have hoped for a better fixture during these run of must-win games. They have an enviable record at the Eden Gardens, having won 9 out of the 11 games they have played at the iconic stadium. On the other hand, following their loss in the previous game against the same opponents in Mumbai in their last game, the Kolkata Knight Riders would also be desperate for a win so that they can hold on to their fourth place position on the table.

MI have crept up to fifth spot and if they win tonight then they will topple the hosts to take 4th place. A lot is at stake in tonight’s game at the Eden Gardens and the ultimate result of the game will surely be decided by some of the individual battles that are going to take place tonight. Here is a look at the 5 most important ones.

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#5 Evin Lewis v Piyush Chawla

After missing out on a game and scoring only 10 in his return game, MI’s Ewin Lewis came back to form in the previous game against KKR with a quick 43. He would definitely like to kick on and get a big score in tonight’s big game against the same opponents. One of the more interesting battles tonight will be the one he will have against KKR’s leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who usually bowls during the Powerplays.

In the previous game, Lewis faced 6 balls from the Indian spinner and made 14 (6,4,4 and 3 dots) and hit him out of the attack. So, the re-run of that battle tonight is going to be intriguing and it will be interesting to see what plans Chawla has to counter the threat posed by the West Indian. The leg-spinner has recorded an impressive economy rate of 8.32 in 10 games so far and picked up eight wickets. In tonight’s game, his duel with Lewis is is going to decide if KKR are to contain the opening onslaught tonight.

#4 Chris Lynn v Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah

Chris Lynn is the big money buy from KKR who was supposed to get them off to scorching starts, and although he has not always been able to deliver on that promise consistently, he has been a steadying presence at the top of the order for them.

As he recently said, he is still not fully fit but that would not hamper his batting and hopefully, he is going to explode at some point this season. He has made 277 runs at an average of 30.77 and a strike rate of 133.81, which is low by his standards.

KKR would dearly want a contribution from him tonight and the man he would be wary of is MI’s fast bowling star Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer has taken 11 wickets so far in 10 games but it is his economy rate of 6.92 which is truly outstanding. However, it is his stellar record against Lynn that is the interesting bit. He has played in 5 games against the Australian and dismissed him thrice. Could it be 4 in 6 or will Lynn rise up to the challenge tonight?

#3 Kuldeep Yadav v Suryakumar Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav

The most interesting battle tonight will be the one between the right-handed batsman and KKR’s left-arm leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. In the previous game, he hit Kuldeep for one four and a six, scoring 14 runs off 7 balls.

The rerun of that duel is going to be interesting and considering Kuldeep’s penchant of picking up wickets, it could well prove to be KKR’s best chance of dismissing their ex-player. The promotion of Suryakumar Yadav to the opener’s slot has proven to be a masterstroke from the MI team management and the youngster has now emerged as their top run-scorer with an aggregate of 399 runs.

He is averaging 39.90 and striking at 132.11 in 10 games. In the previous game against KKR, he was the top-scorer with 59 and he is someone who the hosts would want to dismiss as early as they possibly can.

#2 Robin Uthappa v Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya

The KKR batsman is perhaps the most important player in the team’s middle-order and although Robin Uthappa has not always been able to get the big scores this season, he has been in excellent hitting form. He is striking at 143.88 and in his last game, he got a fluent 54 against the same opponents. Tonight he would definitely like to get a bigger score and see to it that the KKR batting effort does not fall apart like it did the other day at Mumbai.

In this regard, his battle against the tournament’s second highest wicket-taker Hardik Pandya is going to be a very important one and whoever wins that particular battle would place his team in a commanding position. The Indian all-rounder returned brilliant figures of 2/19 in 4 overs in the last game and was adjudged the Man of the Match. While Pandya will be looking for an encore, it will perhaps be up to Uthappa and the rest of the KKR middle-order to ensure that he fails to do so.

#1 Sunil Narine v Rohit Sharma

Sunil Narine

The MI captain has an incredible record at the Eden Gardens and if KKR are to get anything out of tonight’s game then they must find a way to get Rohit Sharma’s wicket. Their best bet in this regard is their star spinner Sunil Narine and considering the fact that he had dismissed Rohit in the previous game at Mumbai, the rerun of that battle is going to be another absorbing watch.

The right-handed batsman will bat at No.3 and there is every chance of him running into the wiles of Narina straightaway. The Trinidadian has picked up 12 wickets in 10 games so far and remains KKR’s highest wicket-taker. His spell is crucial for KKR and if Rohit can get on top of him tonight, then the hosts are going to have a very tough time.