After being completely outclassed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous game, Kolkata Knight Riders are up against an upbeat Mumbai Indians in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. The inconsistency has been a major cause of concern for Kolkata Knight Riders and will look to address the issue on Friday.
When both the sides met last time at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Kolkata Knight Riders were outsmarted by Mumbai Indians as they lost the game by 49 runs. The batting and bowling both failed on that unfortunate day and Dinesh Karthik has a huge task to cut out on Friday.
The suspected bowling action report on Sunil Narine is a concern too for Dinesh Karthik and co. The player was replaced by Tom Banton in their previous game but the player failed to continue his form going. Chris Green might make his debut in place of Tom Banton as Green will give an extra cushion to the captain in bowling.
With a crucial time ahead for Kolkata Knight Riders, here are the top three picks for KKR against Mumbai Indians:
#1) Nitish Rana
The southpaw has played a crucial role for his side in every victory of Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. The player has helped his side to put a decent total on the board with well-crafted batting at the No 3 position. Nitish Rana will be one of the top three picks for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians.
The left-handed batsman has 150 runs from seven games with one half-century to his name. The captain hasn’t changed the batting order of Rana when he has changed every other player’s in IPL 2020. In a crucial game on Friday, Nitish Rana can turn out to be a match-winner.
#2) Eoin Morgan
There are two players in the Indian Premier League who have failed to perform despite getting a long run. If it is Aaron Finch, on one hand, it KKR’s Eoin Morgan on the other. Despite leading England to the first-ever ICC World Cup with his batting, Eoin Morgan hasn’t been able to leave a mark behind in the cash-rich tournament.
In seven games, the England skipper has just 175 runs to his name. He hasn’t been assigned a proper batting position which has led to multiple questions. However, against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, Eoin Morgan will be one of the top three picks for KKR.
#3) Andre Russell
The Caribbean all-rounder is the spine of KKR on any day. Since Andre Russell has failed to get going in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders have failed to get any success. Though he has failed with the bat, Andre Russell won back to back games for KKR with his bowling. The player will look to turn his season around with strong performances from the bat too.
Against RCB, Andre Russell had dispatched three deliveries of Udana to the boundary but he was dismissed in the same over. Dinesh Karthik will hope the player will be fit for the game as he is yet to recover from his knee injury. The all-rounder will be one of the top three picks for his side as they are up against one of the deadliest fast bowlers in the world, Jasptit Bumrah.
