IPL 2021, KKR Predicted XI vs MI: All eyes on the Harbhajan gamble as Kolkata Knight Riders look to floor toughest rival

IPL 2021: If that doesn't signal a one-sided domination, nothing does. In the last five matches between the two teams, MI have emerged victorious four times but here's a trivial that would cheer up KKR fans.

No single team in the IPL has most wins over another than Mumbai Indians do against Kolkata Knight Riders. Yes, the five-time title winners have beaten KKR in 22 matches out of the 28 overall games played between them. If that doesn't signal a one-sided domination, nothing does. In the last five matches between the two teams, MI have emerged victorious four times but here's a trivial that would cheer up KKR fans. That one win they secured came in the first half of the IPL 2021, when they beat MI by 34 runs. With KKR still needing a few more wins to secure a safe passage to the Playoffs, MI need to make sure they do not fumble in this crucial phase of the tournament.

File photo of Harbhajan Singh.

KKR would be buoyed by the fact that they beat a star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous game. Their combination looked set to deliver a second win for the side and spark a rejuvenation. But whether they'll be able to emerge as giant slayers again and be able to stop their toughest competitors statistically remains to be seen. In order to outperform MI, KKR might bank on a player who once was part of the opposition, Harbhajan Singh, but getting a game ahead of Varun Chakravarthy will be tough. Keeping that in mind, here is a look at the 11 players we feel KKR may field.

1 Shubman Gill: After looking rudderless in the first leg and then recovering from an injury he picked up in England, young Gill, during his innings against RCB, proved that he has up and running. Gill is best when he attacks and he should back his natural instincts against the trio of Bumrah, Boult and Milne.

2 Venkatesh Iyer: The world stood up and took notice as debutant Venkatesh Iyer played some atrocious strokes against RCB as KKR gunned down a 93-run target. The start was promising but he would be up for a test, bigger challenge against the star bowling combination of MI.

3 Nitish Rana: He did not get a chance to bat in the previous match with KKR promoting Andre Russell to finish the job early to give a boost to their Net Run Rate. Having represented India in Sri Lanka in July this year, Rana would want to be exude a lot more confidence in his batting that he has previously.

4 Rahul Tripathi: Rahul Tripathi has had hits and misses in his IPL career so far, more so while representing KKR. An attacking batsman by nature, Tripathi would be keen to begin the second leg with a positive start and a decent score under his belt.

5 Eoin Morgan: Watching Morgan fare against the MI bowlers promises to be a sight to behold. A star international batsman up against some of the big names in franchise cricket. The KKR skipper has scored just 92 runs from eight matches and he would be expecting a more as captain to deliver.

6 Dinesh Karthik: DK needs to quickly switch from his commentary avatar to that of a batsman. In the first phase, Karthik gave up his captaincy to focus more on his batting but it didn’t quite happen. With few games remaining, now is the time for one of KKR’s premier batsmen to step up.

7 Andre Russell: Big Andre Russell had the perfect start to the second leg, claiming 3/9 with the ball. But his batting is what everyone’s focus would be in. Russell looks fitter than he has in a long time and he and KKR would be hoping it reflects on his batting and that he could bring out the bug shots in Abu Dhabi.

8 Lockie Ferguson: Ferguson picked up 2/24 in his first outing with KKR this season. If KKR decide to stick to their winning combination, he would have one more change to give himself some match practice.

9 Sunil Narine: Sunil Narine was up to his bag of tricks even though he went wicketless. He looked threatening troubling the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal. The original mystery spinner proved he still has a lot to offer and wouldn’t be a pushover.

10 Varun Chakravarthy/Harbhajan Singh: Given how spectacularly well Varun Chakravarthy bowled against RCB, picking up 3/13 from 4 overs, he is likely to stick to his place in the XI. However, the experience of Harbhajan cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to bowling in the Powerplay. The toss-up between the young and old blood is exciting but KKR might just be tempted to persist with Chakravarthy

11 Prasidh Krishna: Tall pacer Prasidh Krishna got the big wicket of Virat Kohli in the first game, and would certainly be targeting similar big names such as Rohit, de Kock, Hardik, Pollard.