For the first time since 2019, Mumbai Indians will return to Eden Gardens where they enjoy a good record having won 10 out of 13 matches at this venue. Their last outing in Kolkata was a 34-run loss at the hands of the hosts but it turned out to be a memorable season for MI who went on to win the title for the fourth time. But in what has been an IPL 2024 of what-ifs for them, MI land in Kolkata having become the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs race. They are up against a confident Kolkata Knight Riders outfit, who having registered their first win at Wankhede in 12 years, will look to do the double over MI and become the first team to book a berth in the playoffs this season, and solidify their bid to finish in the top two.
KKR eye playoffs ticket with a double over MI
KKR's average powerplay score of 68 is the second highest this season, they have the joint second highest boundary percentage (30.8) in the powerplay, and have lost 16 wickets in this phase, joint second lowest after CSK's 13. MI, on the other hand, have lost as many as 25 wickets in the powerplay, the highest among all teams. Between them, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine have scored 548 runs at a combined strike rate of 180.86 in the powerplay and have been the chief contributors to KKR's success this season. Even when they had a rare failure, like they did against MI at Wankhede, KKR have found resources to make up for that. With the bowlers also delivering consistently, and Mitchell Starc having found some form with his four-fer against MI, KKR have a smooth-functioning engine which they'll be hoping helps them complete a journey that has been going quite well so far.
MI, on the other hand, have been plagued by inconsistencies. Barring Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, their batting has been a let-down in this competition. A highest of 11 to go with single digit scores in his last five innings, Rohit Sharma hasn't been on song, nor for that matter Ishan Kishan who has a highest of 32 in his last seven outings. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, none of their bowlers feature in the top 15 list of wicket-takers in this IPL. But the win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, where they restricted their power-packed batting to 173 before Suryakumar's century got them over the line, will give them some confidence as they'll be hoping to finish a disappointing season with a couple of victories and add more chaos to the heavy mid-table traffic.
When: KKR vs MI, Saturday, May 11 at 19:30 IST
Where: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
What to expect: Although Delhi Capitals were restricted to 153, which the Knight Riders chased down in 16.3 overs, high scores have been the flavour of this season in Kolkata. Early in the season SRH came close to KKR's 208, RR chased down a target of 224, RCB fell one short of KKR's 222 while Punjab Kings mowed down a target of 262 in 18.4 overs. Another high-scoring game is on the cards. Although it has been raining in Kolkata and disrupted KKR's
