The closing stages of the Indian Premier League regular season continues on Saturday with one match in the IPL 2024 campaign which comes from Eden Gardens where the Kolkata Knight Riders host the Mumbai Indians.
These are two of the three leading franchises in this competition and that in itself always makes this an iconic match but with Kolkata all but securing their top two finish with a win it could be even more competitive as Mumbai won’t want their campaign to fizzle out even though they have nothing to play for.
Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders begin their third to last game of the season knowing that they will finish in the top two should they win two of those matches but it might be that with their significantly stronger net run rate one win will be enough. That is significant because it would give them two chances to reach the final which is the initial aim for any side in this competition. This is the final home game of their campaign so that should make them doubly eager to deliver.
Kolkata have been brutal with the bat this season. When they have got off to good starts they have absolutely blitzed sides and put up scores we didn’t think were possible at the start of the competition but even when they have lost a wicket or two up top they have so much batting depth that they can keep on going. If they are going to win this competition their key bowlers are going to be so important but if their batting fires like it has shown it can it probably won’t matter.
Mumbai Indians
This isn’t going to be one of those seasons where the Mumbai Indians start off slowly, finish the regular campaign with a flourish and then nab everyone in the finals. In terms of competitiveness they are already out of the competition but with a World Cup on the horizon their big guns will want to find some form to take to their national teams with them. They are a huge franchise so they can’t just sack it off even if they wanted to.
The issue for Mumbai all season has been their bowling. With the exception of Jasprit Bumrah it hasn’t been good enough for long enough and although the odd individual performance has supported him now and then, they haven’t come along as often as Mumbai have needed them to. Given the barrage their bowling has taken, their batting has actually held up quite well considering and now with no competitive pressure on them that unit can really flourish.
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Key Players
Varun Chakravarthy has quietly moved into the top position in the Kolkata Knight Riders wicket taking list and if his four overs of spin can slow enough Mumbai batters down in this match then you would imagine his side will get the job done.
It might have been a different story for the Mumbai Indians had they had Suryakumar Yadav available from the very start of this season. He showed last time out just how special he can be in the second half of an innings and Mumbai could do with that here.
Betting
As you would imagine on a ground which has been a batting paradise all season and a match between two sides who have torched the bowling to all parts, the boundaries lines and everything to do with a high scoring match are inflated here. That is enough to make me swerve them especially when the reverse fixture was anything but high scoring. I do think this one will follow the trend at Eden Gardens though and I think I’ve found a way to play it.
Suryakumar Yadav is averaging two sixes per innings in the IPL this season so the 6/4 on him having more than 1.5 sixes here appeals to me. He comes in here off the back of a century in the last game so he will be seeing it like a football at the minute. Even in a low scoring game between these two at the Wankhede eight days ago Sky managed to hit a couple of sixes in what was a bit of a lone effort so we know he can get after this attack. He’ll be looking to build up form and momentum ahead of the World Cup and can have some fun with at least a couple of sixes here.
Tips
Back S.Yadav – Over 1.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Bet365
