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Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium on Friday, May 3, in Match 51 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season.
The two teams have had contrasting campaigns so far. Mumbai are languishing in ninth place in the points table, having won just three out of their 10 matches.
Kolkata, on the other hand, have six victories from nine games and occupy the second spot in the standings.
The Hardik Pandya-led MI have lost three matches on the trot and are desperate for a miraculous turnaround. They slumped to a four-wicket defeat in their previous encounter against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), failing to defend a 145-run target. Their batting let them down in the clash. Nehwal Wadhera and Tim David were the top performers, scoring 46 and 35*, respectively.
Shreyas Iyer's KKR trumped Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets in their most recent appearance. They comfortably chased down a 154-run target in just 16.3 overs, courtesy of Phil Salt's 68-run knock off 33 balls.
Varun Chakravarthy was named the Player of the Match for registering impressive figures of 4-0-16-3.
The upcoming MI vs KKR tie also promises to be a closely fought battle. Here, we take a look at three match-ups that could have a significant impact on the result.
#1 Rohit Sharma (MI) vs Mitchell Starc (KKR)
Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma has blown hot and cold this season. The ace batter has amassed 315 runs across 10 outings at a strike rate of 158.29.
Sharma scored an unbeaten ton against Chennai Super Kings, scoring 105* in a losing cause. However, he has registered scores of 4, 8 and 6 in his last three outings. While he will be eager to get a big score under his belt, 'Hitman' will face an imposing challenge against KKR's left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc.
Starc is yet to justify his hefty price tag, bagging just seven wickets from eight games at an economy rate of 11.79. But, he could be Shreyas Iyer's best bet against Sharma, who has been out to left-arm fast bowlers five times in IPL 2024.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav (MI) vs Sunil Narine (KKR)
Suryakumar Yadav returned to competitive cricket with IPL 2024 following an injury layoff. He has notched up two half-centuries so far, but has struggled to perform consistently.
The swashbuckling batter has 176 runs from seven games at an average of 25.14 and a strike rate of 170.87. His contest against KKR's Sunil Narine is expected to be an exciting one.
Narine is Kolkata's leading wicket-taker this year, picking up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.86. While SKY hasn't been dismissed to Narine in the league's history, his strike rate drops to 118.86 while facing the crafty spinner.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah (MI) vs Andre Russell (KKR)
Jasprit Bumrah and Andre Russell's battle is bound to wow fans as two heavyweights of the format engage in a battle for one-upmanship.
Bumrah has been in spectacular form in IPL 2024. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for the edition, claiming 14 wickets from 10 games at an economy rate of 6.40.
KKR would want Russell to provide fireworks with the bat in the slog overs.
However, his record against Bumrah could worry the Kolkata think tank. The speedster has conceded just 56 runs in 44 balls and has dismissed Russell four times in the IPL.
