Mumbai Indians are all-set to face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 23rd September, 2020.

The defending champions will be looking to make amends after the loss against CSK in the first game at the same ground. Their next opponents i.e. KKR made some solid picks during the auction last year. They will be playing their first game of the season.

Here are some of the talking points ahead of the MI vs KKR game:

MI enjoy a great record against KKR

In their last ten games against KKR, MI has defeated them a phenomenal nine times. This includes their encounter from the 2017 playoffs, a memorable one for the Men in Blue and Gold.

While KKR open their campaign, they will be bracing up for the challenge and look forward to improving their record against MI.

Top-order

Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock are likely to continue opening the innings. Suryakumar Yadav who has been quite consistent for MI over the last couple of years will look to ace the No.3 role for the team. Saurabh Tiwary also looked promising at No.4 in the previous match.

KKR is likely to follow the suit of Sunil Narine as an opener. With explosive batsman Chris Lynn in the MI camp now, 21-year-old Shubman Gill can also serve as an option for Dinesh Karthik. The additions of Tom Banton and Eoin Morgan make them a force to reckon with.

Hard-hitting Finishers

Both teams boast of some hard-hitting batsmen in their ranks. For MI, it will be Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard who will lead the charge as power hitters. Pandya had scored a mind-blowing 91 (34) against KKR last year.

From the opposition camp, Andre Russell registered a stupendous knock of 80* (40) in the same game. Dinesh Karthik is also dangerous as a finisher.

New overseas stars

The new overseas pacers Trent Boult and James Pattinson put up a great impression on their MI debut. Explosive batters like Lynn and Sherfane Rutherford are also good backups for the Men in Blue and Gold. Pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile is also recovering from a niggle.

KKR have many new additions to their side in the form of Tom Banton, Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins. In a team that already boasts of T20 stars, it will be interesting to see how they accommodate them. All-rounder Chris Green and Ali Khan also add a lot of depth to their squad.

MI have the edge in pace, KKR experienced in spin

The duo of Boult and Pattinson donned the new ball and bowled with good accuracy against CSK. Jasprit Bumrah who went for a few runs will be looking to come back stronger after an off-day. For KKR, other than Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson, the pace bowling department lacks experience.

When it comes to spin, Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar are likely to be retained by MI from the last game. Both will look to redeem themselves and put up their best against a strong KKR batting lineup. Comparatively, they have an experienced spin duo in Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav. While Kuldeep didn't have a great season last year, he will be looking to make it count in this edition.

Approaching milestones:

- Rohit is 90 runs away from completing 5000 runs in IPL.

- Rohit is also six sixes away from completing 200 sixes in IPL.

- Suryakumar Yadav is 47 runs away from completing 1000 runs for MI in IPL.

Players to watch out for:

Rohit Sharma: The MI skipper began well with a boundary on the first ball he faced against CSK. However, Rohit will be keen to own the anchoring role and take the responsibility to bat till the end after the collapse in the last match.

Kieron Pollard: The all-rounder has been in good nick off late and even showed glimpses of his form during the first game as he hit Piyush Chawla for a straight six. Pollard would be waiting to go all guns blazing against the opposition in the death overs and take MI to a strong position.

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