KKR vs MI Live Score, IPL 2021: Rohit, Mumbai eye first win in Kolkata clash; Toss, playing XI at 7pm

Welcome to the LIVE blog of the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.

[KKR vs MI, IPL 2021, MATCH 5 LIVE SCORECARD]

 

Nearly an hour away from the Toss. The Knights will be wondering if this is the right time to strike a telling blow for the Mumbai Indians to cushion the blow dealt by the latter over the years.

The rivalry has been a one-sided affair for too long now and one wonders why KKR has not been able to stop the Mumbai juggernaut. Change in personnel, a solid lineup of stars - none of these have gone in favour for KKR against MI.

At the venue: KKR has not won at Chepauk since 2012 while MI lost for the first time since 2011 in its Friday's clash against RCB.

Save for that one night in Eden Gardens that happens to roll back from recent memory - the Andre Russell blitz of a 40-ball 80 powered Kolkata to 232/2 and it managed to keep enough pressure to see Mumbai perish within striking distance.  In the last five seasons, however,  MI has won the fixture nine times as opposed to KKR's two.

With the side finally seeming to settle under skipper Morgan, Kolkata's hopes will rest on its all-rounder trio of Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan and Pat Cummins firing in unison tonight. Mumbai's vulnerabilities at the start, unlike earlier seasons, have seen quicker remedies over the last two years. To further stamp the point, Rohit's Mumbai is the only side that has not lost successive matches in the league since 2019.

On this day in 2016: KKR and MI took on each other in a league clash at the Eden Gardens. Fifties from skipper Gambhir and Manish Pandey powered KKR to 187/5 in 20 overs. However, a Rohit Sharma masterclass (84* off 54) powered Mumbai to a six-wicket win.

NUMBERS GAME

Rohit Sharma is one fifty away from jumping to the third spot for most IPL fifties. Rohit is currently tied with Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli with 39 fifties.   Kieron Pollard needs two sixes to register 200 IPL sixes to become the third overseas player and seventh overall to the mark.   Rohit Sharma is 61 runs away from recording 1000 runs vs KKR. Rohit's tally of 939 runs vs KKR is the league record for most runs by a player against an opposition.   MI pacer Trent Boult may feature in his 50th IPL match. Boult has taken 64 wickets at 25.20 in 49 matches so far.   Milestones approaching: Quinton de Kock needs 41 to reach 2000 IPL runs. Shubman Gill is 46 away from 1000 IPL runs.

 

Top performers of last season:

MI has dominated the batting and bowling charts in its victorious season

Rank	Batsman	Runs scored
1.	Ishan Kishan (MI)	516
2.	Quinton de Kock (MI)	503
3.	Suryakumar Yadav (MI)	480
Rank	Bowlers	Wickets taken
1.	Jasprit Bumrah (MI)	27
2.	Trent Boult (MI)	25
3.	Varun Chakravarthy	17

Ahead of the first encounter between MI and KKR this season, here are a few stats and numbers to look into...

Predicted XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders 1) Shubman Gill 2) Nitish Rana 3) Rahul Tripathi 4) Eoin Morgan (C) 5) Dinesh Karthik (WK) 6) Andre Russell 7) Shakib Al Hasan 8) Harbhajan Singh 9) Pat Cummins 10) Prasidh Krishna 11) Varun Chakravarthy Mumbai Indians 1) Rohit Sharma (C), 2) Chris Lynn/Quinton de Kock, 3) Suryakumar Yadav, 4) Ishan Kishan, 5) Kieron Pollard, 6) Hardik Pandya, 7) Krunal Pandya, 8) Marco Jansen, 9) Rahul Chahar/Piyush Chawla, 10) Jasprit Bumrah, 11) Trent Boult

- Match Preview -

In a tournament that has had rivalries and close battles like no other, the KKR-MI duel has been one of those rare one-sided offerings over the course of the last 13 years. With a head-to-head record that reads 21-6 in Mumbai's favour, tonight's clash has its hot favourite way ahead of the first ball. However, the slow-starter Mumbai Indians has begun in typical fashion - a loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener. While most teams would brood over its poor start, MI skippers reiterated that the 'title was more important than the first match.'

IPL 2021 preview: Can KKR break the MI jinx?  

As for Kolkata, a slender yet firm win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday would boost its morale ahead of the clash with its nemesis, MI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

WHERE TO WATCH TODAY'S IPL 2021 MATCH - KKR vs MI LIVE?

IPL 2021 will be aired live on Star Sports channels - Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD. It will also be streamed live on Disney+Hotstar. You can also follow the live commentary and latest updates from IPL 2021 on Sportstar.