After the first round of matches of the IPL 2021, the second round begins with a blockbuster clash on Tuesday. Â The two-time champion Kolkata knight Riders (KKR) will play against the defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Both teams followed their usual trend in the first game of most seasons. KKR won the first game of IPL 2021 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. It is the tenth time in 14 seasons that they have started the campaign with a victory. Meanwhile, for the ninth season in a row, Mumbai Indians have begun the campaign with a defeat as they narrowly lost against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 9.
Over the years, both teams have played out some incredible games in IPL history. Considering the strength of both sides, Tuesday is likely to be another classic as both points have something to prove after the result in the first game. KKR looks to maintain a good start, while Mumbai will be searching for the first win of the season.
Team News
For the second game of the season, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians have a complete squad available. KKR will have a decision to make if they would stick with Shakib Al Hasan or bring Sunil Narine to the team. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will have Quinton de Kock available for selection in this game as he completes the quarantine period. Zaheer Khan, Director of Cricket at Mumbai Indians, confirmed that the South African wicket-keeper will be ready for the second game.
Predicted Starting XIÂ Â
Kolkata knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock/Chris Lynn, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Marco Jansen, Trent Boult, Jasprit BumrahÂ
Key Battle to watch out
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell remains one of the explosive batsmen in IPL despite a poor season last year. Russell can change the course of the game in a couple of overs due to his ability to hit the ball out of the ground. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah is the best pace bowler in this format. The Indian bowler has the knack of taking wickets of best batsmen at right time. Moreover, he can bowl well in the powerplay as well as in the death overs. It is going to be an intriguing battle between two powerhouses of T-20 cricket.