IPL 2017 Qualifier 2, KKR vs MI: 5 reasons why Kolkata Knight Riders can beat Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders will lock horns against the Mumbai Indians on May 19^th with a place in the final up for grabs. Although Kolkata finished at the number four spot on the points table, they are a serious contender for this year’s IPL title with a formidable squad at their disposal.

So far in the IPL, Kolkata and Mumbai have faced each other on 20 occasions. Out of these 20 matches, Mumbai has won 15 games and thus have been the dominating side whenever these two teams have clashed. However, with the game being played at a neutral venue in Bangalore you can very well throw the history books out.

And when both these teams face each other at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Friday, KKR can defeat Mumbai due to the following five reasons-

#1 Red hot form of Nathan Coulter-Nile

Nathan Coulter-Nile has proved to be a real ace for KKR

In IPL 2017, Nathan Coulter-Nile so far has spent more time in recovering from his injuries than bowling in actual games. However, whenever the Australian pace bowler has been available to take the field, he has emerged as a force to reckon with.

In seven so far, has won three man-of-the-match awards and is the third highest wicket-taker for KKR. Throughout this IPL, the man from Down Under has bowled brilliantly – troubling some of the best batsmen in the world with his pace, movement and deadly combination of line and length.

This fierce cocktail makes Coulter-Nile, KKR’s ace weapon against Mumbai who bank heavily on their batting line-up. This right arm pacer has taken three wickets in an innings so far four times in this year and if on song again, he can easily Mumbai.

#2 The conditions in Bangalore

Sunil Narine should relish the conditions at the Chinnaswamy stadim

Traditionally a batting paradise, the Chinnaswamy Stadium this year surprised everybody with its dry surface. Until last year runs flooded heavily on this pitch, but this season stroke making has become extremely difficult for the batsmen. The variable bounce and slow surface have in fact become a feature of the Chinnaswamy Stadium this year.

Among the two teams, this slow and dry surface benefits KKR more as they have the perfect squad to exploit these conditions. On this track, an express pace bowler like Coulter-Nile can wreck havoc while KKR have enough depth in the spin department to utilise the conditions to its maximum.

It will be difficult to score against Sunil Narine on this kind of a surface as SRH found out last game. Meanwhile, others like Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav have the armoury to cause some real trouble with the ball in their hands as well.

The batting order of Mumbai is full of natural hitters and hence they might find it difficult to adapt to these conditions. As Pune displayed in the first qualifier match, Mumbai’s batting order gets restless when boundaries are hard to come by and that’s something they can’t afford to do against as quality as opposition as Kolkata.

#3 Determined Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir came up big again to lead KKR past the SRH

Some cricketers crumble under pressure while some cricketers bring out their best performance when they play in pressure situations. Gautam Gambhir certainly falls under the second category as he loves performing in pressure situations and in fact he betters his game in these crucial matches.

The only batsman to hit half-centuries in the finals of ODI as well as T20I World Cups, Gambhir has shown a penchant for being a big-game player. And with a do-or-die situation at hand again, his determination to get the job done can surely lead to the dismantling of Mumbai’s bowling. Additionally, he is in great form this year and as he displayed in the previous match against Hyderabad, batting positions and external conditions make no difference to his run scoring.

The left-handed batsman will fancy his chances against the pace of McClenaghan and Bumrah. And if Karn Sharma is played, his spin into the southpaw makes it easier for Gambhir to play him. With 486 runs under his belt in this season, Gambhir is a big obstacle in between Mumbai and a place in the finals.

#4 Strong and multi-dimensional batting line-up

Lynn and Narine have the ability to take the game away in the powerplay overs

KKR boast one of the best batting line-ups in this IPL. It is not only their batting depth but it is also their variety in batting which makes them highly dangerous for any bowling unit.

Chris Lynn is a high impact batsman who can single-handedly change the course of the match. The Australian, who is known for his big hitting has the ability to make the most of the powerplay overs. The evolution of Narine as a batsman further increases the might of KKR as he can debunk the bowlers' confidence with ease.

Even if the duo fails early there is no reprieve for opposition teams as KKR still have Yusuf Pathan in their team who on his day can wreck any bowling line-up.

Along with these hitters, Kolkata boasts technically sound batsmen in the form of Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. The duo plays pace and spin with the same ease and hence are enough to milk Mumbai’s bowlers during middle overs.

However, a big blow to KKR’s rank will be the injury to Manish Pandey which has now ruled him out of the Champions League and it is difficult to see him make an appearance in this game.

However, in Ishank Jaggi and Suryakumar Yadav Kolkata should have enough depth in their batting to keep pace even in the latter stages of the innings.

Mumbai’s has an impressive bowling line-up with McClenaghan and Bumrah spearheading them. However, KKR’s have the talent in their line-up to cause a serious dent.

#5 The X factor: Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla came up trumps for KKR in their last game

Piyush Chawla has featured in only five matches so far and has picked up just four wickets. But KKR has used him as a tactical weapon. And except in their game against RCB, Chawla got rid of an opening batsman who looked threatening.

Against Mumbai, on Friday he can easily replicate his previous success. Mumbai has depended heavily on their top order to score runs but Chawla with his leg spin can put the brakes on the scoring rate with the help of his knack picking up timely wickets. Rohit Sharma has perished to leg spinners on five occasions in this IPL 2017 and the leg-spinner can be the ideal option to exploit Sharma’s weakness.

With Mumbai boasting of several right-hand batsmen in the team, Chawla could turn out to the be the X factor for Kolkata in this qualifier match.