IPL 2014: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Written by Maverick White for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!


Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Wednesday 16 April | Abu Dhabi | 16:30

A packed stadium in Abu Dhabi will usher in the 2014 edition of the IPL, the UAE set for a feast of T20 cricket until the end of April. The carnival makes its merry way back to India in early May, as the country’s federal elections begin to wind down. The tournament begins with the defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, up against the side they unseated, IPL 2012 winners the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the same manner as previous seasons, Mumbai have their big names and box-office value, but have left potential gaps in the wicket-keeping and spin departments. The Knight Riders have a revamped pace attack but may be forced to rely on the usual suspects within their top order, one that misfired horribly last year.

To Win
Indians 7/10
Tie 35/1
Knight Riders 12/10

Mumbai Indians
Notorious for being the biggest spenders at IPL auctions, this year the Mumbai Indians opted to retain the services of five players who took them to last year’s title (the maximum amount allowed to be retained) and spend more cautiously. That is not to say that there were no big money buys on their part. Losing three top order batsmen, including last year’s failed blockbuster opening partnership of Ricky Ponting and the Little Master, along with Dwayne Smith, opened the door for the acquisition of CSK’s Michael Hussey for $833 000. Captain Rohit Sharma is delighted with the buy, highlighting Hussey’s unerring consistency as his most valuable asset. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2013 edition of the tournament and struck three Big Bash fifties this year. Hussey’s style will also afford Mumbai’s stroke-makers the opportunity to bat around him.

Despite retaining Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh, the nature of the auction means Mumbai are missing two big names that contributed to their success in both the IPL and Champions League last season – Mitchell Johnson and Dinesh Karthik. Despite all the absentees, the Indians still possess a potent top-order and, with the acquisition of Corey Anderson, two potent allrounders. Although Kieron Pollard is still fresh from a six-month knee injury, he scored a first-class century in his second game back and comes into the IPL with confidence and runs to his name. It leaves one area of concern for Mumbai; do Aditya Tare or Ambati Rayudu take the gloves, freeing up a position for Jalaj Saxena to bolster a spin attack already comprising Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha on UAE tracks likely to turn, or do they play CM Gautam as a specialist wicket-keeper batsman and solidify their batting line-up? For their matches in the UAE, I expect the former.

Kolkata Knight Riders
If ever an example was needed to illustrate the volatile nature of this competition, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ campaign last year would be a case in point. Winning the tournament in 2012 and retaining the same line-up, the side went on to lose ten of their sixteen group games, finishing an abysmal seventh in the pool of nine teams. This year, Kolkata retained only the services of captain Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine, using their Right-To-Match bids to hold onto Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan, two players in which they invested heavily in the past. They also covered weaknesses in their middle-order and upgraded a mediocre pace attack that battled on subcontinent pitches. Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey will both provide some much-needed impetus to a batting order that revolves around Gambhir, Kallis and the death-over exploits of Pathan.

Whether the Knight Riders have made the correct decision in persisting with Pathan is still up for debate. He burst onto the world scene in the 2008 edition of the IPL, scoring four half-centuries for the Rajasthan Royals. Since joining the Knight Riders in 2011 for $2.1 million, he has managed a solitary fifty in 43 innings. His recent domestic form indicates that he could be back to his best, but one feels that this is probably the last season for Yusuf Pathan to make a case for the future before fading into anonymity.

With the batting line-up looking balanced, it is the Knight Riders’ bowling attack that could really make them a force to be reckoned with this year. They’ve beefed up the pace arsenal, securing Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins and Vinay Kumar. They not only have seamers that offer real pace and bounce, but ones that are able to squeeze life out of tracks that don’t assist them. Vinay Kumar offers a miserly line and length option. Their spin contingent should prosper in both the UAE and India, made up of Sunil Narine, legspinner Piyush Chawla and Shakib Al Hasan. Kuldeep Yadav is a chinaman bowler, a rare breed that may have an impact should he be afforded the opportunity.

Venue
Arguably one of the world’s finest cricket grounds, the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi will play host the IPL opener. The spinners should have a say here, the pitch likely to play relatively low and slow. However, Ireland did manage to score 225 against Afghanistan here last year and the IPL does tend to start off at breakneck speed. I’d be looking at above 170 as a good score here.

BEST: Top Mumbai Batsman, Michael Hussey 9/4
Although it is very difficult to gauge form before the tournament has even started, as mentioned, Mike Hussey is a pillar of consistency. He’ll be eager to impress in his new team colours and plays spin superbly. The price is right. Get on.

VERDICT: Kolkata Knight Riders 12/10
The Knight Riders did a sterling job at the auction, managing to work out the glaring problems from last year as well as adding a balance to the side that should hold them in good stead. Their only weakness lies in inconsistency, perhaps lacking batsmen that win matches on a regular basis. Despite that, bowling will count for much in the UAE and this is a department in which the Knight Riders do not lack. Back the outsiders for profit.