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According to the IPL 2022 schedule, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) will meet tonight in IPL 2022, with the latter looking to notch up their first win of the tournament.
Mumbai lost their season opener to the Delhi Capitals (DC) followed by another loss against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). They will hope to get back to winning ways when they meet Kolkata at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (April 6).
Kolkata have two wins from three games and will look to continue the momentum they regained after their loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). What makes this clash interesting is the player battles that it offers.
Both sides have quality players who, on their day, can change the outcome of the game. On that note, let's take a look at the key player battles.
#1 MI's Ishan Kishan vs Pat Cummins
Ishan Kishan will be up against a familiar foe who's troubled him quite a bit in the past. Australian quick Pat Cummins has dismissed the young batter thrice in their previous encounters.
Kishan's last two games for Mumbai were run-filled with scores of 81* and 54 giving him the much-needed confidence to have a go at the Kolkata bowling unit tonight. This will be a classic contest of pace vs power in Pune.
#2 Rohit Sharma vs Sunil Narine
It's mystery vs magic when Sunil Narine loads up to bowl against Rohit Sharma. He has dismissed the skipper seven times in the last 18 innings.
Unleashing Narine in the powerplay might not be a bad idea considering he has gotten the better of Sharma in the IPL. Sharma is yet to notch up a fifty in the 2022 edition, and this might be the game where he hits his straps.
For the latest IPL point table, click here.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah vs Shreyas Iyer
Jasprit Bumrah may have been expensive for Mumbai in the first game against Delhi, but he bounced back with a three-wicket haul against Rajasthan. With Kolkata's openers in a bit of a slump, he will be eager to prize out the top two and get the better of their skipper Shreyas Iyer.
Iyer has managed to get off to starts, but is yet to play the defining innings that is expected of him. How he fares against a fiery Bumrah remains to be seen.
