IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's MI vs KKR match

You can't speak about an IPL match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) without pointing to the former's number of wins against the latter, which is the best for any team against one opponent in history.

Given today's game is at the Wankhede, it's even harder to ignore that KKR have won just a solitary game here in 15 years. MI don't have a better home record against any other opponent, and KKR haven't had it harder at any other ground.

But often in IPL, what's happening now tends to dominate the past. KKR are currently the second-best team in IPL 2024 and MI are the second-worst. KKR have lost as many matches as MI have managed to win. Wankhede matches are dominated by bowlers. And so far, KKR's bowling attack has looked decently balanced compared to MI's, which has heavily relied on Jasprit Bumrah.

Below, we have considered all aspects to predict three bowlers from each team who can pick the most wickets to drive the proceedings:\

#3 Vaibhav Arora

Harshit Rana would have been on this list if it wasn't for his one-match ban for celebrating a wicket against Delhi Capitals. But, now, it presents the perfect opportunity for Vaibhav Arora to step up and show what he's all about.

The pacer has been nothing short of brilliant so far. He has nine wickets in five matches at an average of 18.11. While Mitchell Starc has struggled to move the ball from one end, Vaibhav has found substantial swing to take seven wickets in the powerplay (the highest in IPL 2024) at an average of 16.86 (among the best).

The swing available in powerplay at the Wankhede would make him lick his lips and so would Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan's issues against his skills. If he gets on a roll, he could be the light to break the Wankhede curse for KKR.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

Although his wicket-taking form has dipped in recent weeks, Jasprit Bumrah has still been MI's best bowler. Now, that the team is at a stage in IPL 2024 where a single loss would be a knock-out, you can expect Bumrah to rise and turn up again with an other-worldly performance to keep the five-time champions afloat.

KKR are just the right opponents for him too. In 16 matches, he has 20 wickets against them at an average of 23. The last time he played against the franchise, he took five wickets at the cost of just 10 runs -- his best-ever figures in the IPL.

KKR have hardly been tested against accurate pace this season and Bumrah might just be able to derive a collective failure from a pretty deep batting order.

#1 Sunil Narine

In KKR's only IPL win at the Wankhede, which was in 2012 by the way, a young Sunil Narine led the charge with a special spell of 4/15, including wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. Now, 12 years on, he's still KKR's biggest hope.

Despite KKR's misery against MI over the years, Narine has managed 23 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 24.52. Rohit has struggled immensely against him over the years (eight wickets, batting average of just over 18) and the off-spinner would love to bowl against MI's host of left-handers in the top and middle-orders, especially when the Wankhede pitch has offered a bit of grip and turn for spinners.

The focus might be more on his batting this season but Narine is yet to go wicketless in nine matches. Him being able to continue the streak would play a massive role in deciding whether KKR can put an end to the nightmares or not.