MI vs KKR: The story

Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium is playing host to the opening match that is seeing defending champions Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knight Riders who held the trophy just before Mumbai Indians snatched it from them last year.

At 6.30pm UAE time (8pm India time) today, the first ball was bowled, signalling the launch of one of cricket’s greatest shows that will go on until the end of this month in the UAE and then the entire month of May in India.

Even if only symbolically, the opener, which is the 400th match in the IPL, will set the tone of what is expected in the 47-day, 60-match tournament that will see the cream of international cricket rub shoulders – sometimes literally – with established and upcoming Indian players.

For this encounter, KKR will be hoping to ignore history, which is squarely against them as Mumbai Indians have won 10 of the 12 matches that these two teams have played against each other in the previous encounters.

Captain Gautam Gambhir in fact will be attempting a feat trying to orchestrate a freshly assembled team in his bid to win against the well-oiled machinery that is Mumbai Indians, led by Rohit Sharma.

Even more than that, Mumbai Indians have a wealth of IPL gems in their playing XI – Rohit Sharma himself is the second-highest run-getter in IPL, not to mention deadly pacer Lasith Malinga, who is the leading wicket-taker. In addition, MI’s spin sensation Pragyan Ojha, although a little expensive, is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition.

On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir is the fourth-highest run-getter in IPL and KKR have Sunil Narine and Jacques Kallis among their playing XI, adding a lot of firepower to the bowling department. However, despite the potential, Yusuf Pathan hasn’t been able to show his class in IPL, while Manvinder Bisla has been good in patches.

On paper, in any case, the teams look evenly matched, and it will eventually boil down to how the two captains manage their respective stars on the day. A lot will be riding on the attitude of Gambhir, who needs to portray himself and his team as potential winners instead of the underdogs that they became after a dismal performance in last year’s edition.

Rohit Sharma, on his part, will have to keep the momentum going and encourage the Mumbai Indians to stick to their winning ways – a task that’s easier said than done. Just ask Gautam Gambhir! After winning the 2012 IPL season, KKR failed to even qualify for the semi-finals last year.

Teams

MUMBAI INDIANS: Rohit Sharma (C), Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Michael Hussey, Corey Anderson, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Aditya Tare, Jasprit Bumrah, Jalaj Saxena, Josh Hazlewood, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie, Ben Dunk, CM Gautam, Apporv Wankhade, Pawan Suyal, Sushant Marathe, Shreyas Gopal

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Gautam Gambhir (C), Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne Morkel, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Chris Lynn, Pat Cummins, Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Manvinder Bisla, Veer Pratap Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Debabrata Das, Sayan Mondal

Who to Watch out For

Jacques Kallis, one of the world’s greatest all-rounder may have hung up his national boots, but remains a force to reckon on the field especially in the T20 format. KKR will be hoping that he comes true with his bat and ball today to start on a winning note. 

Corey Anderson doesn’t have to prove that 2014 is his year – on January 1 this year, he broke the world record for the fastest ODI hundred with a 36-ball swashbuckling innings against West Indies in Queenstown. A strike rate of 160 in ODIs and about 140 in T20 Internationals, Corey has the potential to demolish the best bowling attack on his day. MI need not bank on just him, but he will be a match-winner on the day he sets his eyes in.  

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