After registering a comprehensive victory against Delhi Capitals in the previous game, the second-placed Mumbai Indians will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the 32nd fixture of the season. Mumbai Indians will look to win against the Kolkata outfit and re-claim the first position in the league table.
For Rohit Sharma led-side, Kolkata Knight Riders have remained bunny in the past. In the past eight games, Kolkata have won only once whereas Mumbai has seven victories to their name. In the previous clash between the same sides in the Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians trounced Kolkata Knight Riders by a huge margin. The team will look to repeat the same at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
The batting has seemed a bit shaky for Mumbai Indians as they have relied heavily on Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. If both fail, the team has found it difficult to recover from the position. It is the one position that Rohit Sharma will look to cover on Friday.
Here are the top three picks for Mumbai Indians when take-on Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium:
#1) Rohit Sharma
The captain of Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma has led his side from the front in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league. In seven games for his side, Rohit Sharma has 216 runs to his name with two half-centuries. His opening partner, Quinton de Kock has failed to impress by a large margin but Rohit Sharma has handled the pressure well in the crucial games. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit Sharma will be one of the top three picks for his side.
In the previous game against KKR at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Rohit Sharma scored 80 from 54 deliveries. On one of the toughest wickets, he scored three boundaries and six sixes and helped his side to put a daunting total on the board. The player will look to repeat the same performance on Friday.
#2) Suryakumar Yadav
Less known in the international circuit, but a player with humongous talent and zeal to prove himself in any format, Suryakumar Yadav will be one of the top three picks for Mumbai Indians against KKR. The player has helped his team to win the games from difficult situations and will look to achieve the same on Friday.
In the reverse fixture, Suryakumar Yadav scored a swashbuckling 47 from 28 deliveries, helping the team to reach a total after they lost de Kock early in the game. The player has a big role to play against the likes of Pat Cummins and Andre Russell who are coming after a defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
#3) Jasprit Bumrah
One of the best death bowlers in cricket, Jasprit Bumrah is an asset to any team in the Indian Premier League. After enduring a tough first two games, Jasprit Bumrah has picked up and has taken the wickets for his side in the crucial junctures. In seven games, Bumrah has 11 wickets to his name despite him going wicketless in the first two games.
The Indian ace was a nightmare to KKR batsmen on the other day and the opposition will look to play him out. His economy rate has remained below eight and will look to get it furthermore below against KKR on Friday.
