Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik will be looking forward to leading from the front in the concluding league clash of the 12th edition.
While Rohit’s Mumbai Indians will be looking to finish in the top two, Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders will be keen to sign off a topsy-turvy campaign on a high.
Both captains, however, will want to make a telling contribution and get into the groove for the World Cup. Interestingly, both Rohit and Karthik have had a relatively quiet IPL with the willow.
A tally of 331 runs from 12 innings — all as opener — with just one fifty is certainly not great by Rohit’s usually high standards. What has been surprising this season is that the MI captain has been unable to convert starts.
Karthik, on the other hand, seems to have under-used himself. With Andre Russell having emerged as a phenomenal yet consistent finisher, Karthik has been relatively quiet. The only time he took guard early in the innings, he made a huge impact with an astonishing unbeaten 97 versus Rajasthan Royals.
The diminutive dynamo will be eager to repeat his heroics at one of his most favourite venues. Karthik was one of the star performers of Mumbai Indians’ maiden title-winning run in 2013 and he would hope to return to Wankhede with a bang.
Rohit has to make up for a rare low score at the Eden Gardens over the last weekend. Both Rohit and Mumbai Indians enjoy an enviable record against Kolkata Knight Riders. The MI skipper would be raring to go against his favourite opponent and end MI’s home run on a perfect note.
No doubt the glitzy affair at Wankhede could well be decided by the face-off between in-form all-rounders Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya. But with the high stakes involved, don’t be surprised if the charismatic captains steal the show.
Teams (From):
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Anmolpreet Singh, Siddhesh Lad, Ankul Roy, Evin Lewis, Pankaj Jaiswal, Ben Cutting, Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare, Rasikh Salam, Barinder Sran, Jayant Yadav, Beuran Hendricks and Lasith Malinga.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (C), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Nikhil Naik, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Harry Gurney, Matt Kelly, KC Cariappa and Yarra Prithviraj.
Match starts at 8 PM.
