Apr 6: Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, 14th Match, MCA Stadium, Pune
Safe XI: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell (vice-capt), Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
Captain: Shreyas Iyer KKR captain enjoyed starts in each of the first three games this season, but failed to convert it to a big one yet. He has been among the top fantasy performers in four of his last five appearances against Mumbai, with scores of 33*, 65*, 12, 25 and 42.
Vice-captain: Andre Russell The leading six-hitter in this season, Russell, finally looks like he is about to replicate his 2019 batting form after some inconsistencies in the last couple of seasons. In the two games he got to bat in this season, he scored 25(18) and 70*(31). In the two games he has played at this stadium, he has scored 83 runs at a strike rate of 176.60.
Hot Picks
Ishan Kishan: This season's most expensive buy at the auction is the man in-form for Mumbai. His scores this season are 81*(48) and 54(43). He has been a consistent run-scorer in powerplay, scoring 507 runs in 33 innings at a strike rate of 131 with just eight dismissals.
Sunil Narine: Knight Riders' vital cog Narine has never gone wicketless at the MCA Stadium, picking up eight wickets in six outings at an economy of 5.58. Mumbai's lower middle-order struggled in their last outing against Royals where Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin turned the match in just a couple of overs and Narine could very well exploit that.
Differential Picks
Ajinkya Rahane: The Mumbaikar has a good record against Mumbai Indians, recording scores of 30 or above in ten of the 20 innings he has played. He has started this tournament well with a 34-ball 44 against the Chennai Super Kings.
Tilak Varma: This 19-year-old has been one of the promising Indian batters. His knock of 33-ball 61 in the last game against Royals will be remembered for a long time. In his young T20 career, he has scored 464 runs in 17 games at an impressive strike rate of 148.24
High Risk XI: Ishan Kishan, Sam Billings, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana (capt), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-capt), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Pat Cummins