Aakash Chopra and Deep Dasgupta make their fantasy picks for the game between KKR and MI (6:44)
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, Abu Dhabi
Pro Tip
Pack your XI with top-order batsmen and allrounders.
Our XI: Quinton De Kock, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Nitish Rana, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Substitutes: Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav, Kieron Pollard, James Pattinson
Player availability: All players are available for selection with Nathan Coulter-Nile returning to training for Mumbai.
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Captain: Quinton De Kock
De Kock got off to a flying start in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings but failed to build on it. However, a big score may not be far away. He scored the most number of runs (352) in the powerplay in IPL 2019.
Vice-captain: Sunil Narine
As a batter who slots into the top four and bowls his quota of four overs, Narine makes for a great vice-captain candidate. In IPL 2019, he had the highest strike rate in the powerplay (172.46) among batsmen who had scored 100 or more runs in that phase. In the recent CPL, Narine picked up six wickets at an astonishing economy of 4.55.
Hot Picks
Eoin Morgan: The England limited-overs captain is coming off a good ODI series against the Australians. Since 2017, Morgan has struck at 153.59 against pace and 130.03 against spin in all T20s. Given Mumbai have only two spinners – one a left-arm orthodox against whom Morgan typically strikes at 146.48 – he is likely to do well.
Hardik Pandya: Even if Pandya plays just as a batsman, he is a must-have. Since 2018, among all batsmen who have scored 100 or more runs against the Knight Riders, he has the best strike rate (216.41). The last time he faced the Knight Riders, he scored a blistering 91 off 34 balls.
Andre Russell: Another allrounder who bats in the top six and bowls, Russell, too, can be picked purely for his batting skills alone. After an ordinary CPL by his standards, he will be looking to get some runs under his belt. Russell will also take confidence from the breathtaking 40-ball 80 he scored against Mumbai last season, coupling it with 2 for 25 with the ball.
Differential Pick
Kamlesh Nagarkoti: The young quick played his last competitive game in early 2018. Injuries have kept him away since, but Nagarkoti is still bowling at over 145kph, according to Knight Riders’ captain Dinesh Karthik, and could play a crucial role for the team this year.
Points to note
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Keep an eye out for the Knight Riders’ opening picks. If Siddhesh Lad plays, he might open, so consider making Russell your vice-captain then.
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Keeping the dew in the second innings in mind, add an extra Mumbai batsman in place of Nitish Rana if they bat second.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo