KKR have a lopsided record against Mumbai
Mumbai Indians come off a shock loss to Chennai Super Kings in the opener as they went from a dominant position to concede the game. Known for starting slow, Mumbai will have to step up about now to win a play-off berth. Luckily, they meet Kolkata Knight Riders, their favourite IPL side and have odds of 1.74 to win this game.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be high on confidence after they thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first game of the UAE leg. Notably, KKR’s bowlers did a terrific job and for once in the season, they found the right combination with the ball. They have odds of 2.06 to beat MI, their nemesis.
A stunning 11-1 record since 2016
No overall record in the Indian Premier League’s history is as lopsided. Mumbai Indians have played KKR 28 times in the IPL, winning 22 of those games and losing just six. The last of those losses came in 2019, but that’s the only win KKR have against MI since 2016. MI have won as many as 11 head-to-head games in this time frame.
RECOMMENDED BET: Mumbai Indians have a strong squad with a terrific bowling attack on paper and their record backs them to win this. They have of 1.74 to do so.
This season when these sides met in April, KKR appeared to be in the game until the end when they threw it away to hand Mumbai a 10-run win. KKR are now sixth in the points table with three wins in eight games. Mumbai are fourth with four wins and as many losses.
Keep an eye on…
Mumbai’s pace attack: Trent Boult hit the groove in the powerplay against Chennai Super Kings and is a genuine threat with the new ball. Add in Jasprit Bumrah’s middle and death bowling and their pace attack is hard enough already. But, they bolstered it further with Adam Milne against CSK and the in-form New Zealand quick who made a bash in The Hundred earlier this year, was outstanding with the ball. The three-prong pace attack will be tough to crack for most batting units.
Andre Russell: Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t need his batting skills against RCB much, but Russell showed he can be valuable with the ball too, cleaning up premier batter AB de Villiers for a golden duck. His impact makes him KKR’s most valuable player and he will hope to make inroads into the Mumbai line-up with the ball while being his brutal self with the bat.
TIP: Trent Boult has 10 wickets in the first over with the ball since IPL 2020. There are odds of 3.95 for KKR to lose a wicket in the first over.
