IPL 2021: Rohit Sharma's MI Clash With Eoin Morgan's KKR Today

Kolkata Knight Riders, fresh off a clinical performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, will look to set the record straight against nemesis Mumbai Indians in their second IPL match on Tuesday in Chennai. After missing the last two playoffs, KKR looked like a totally different team in their IPL opener on Sunday, defeating SRH by 10 runs.KKR showed a fearless approach under skipper Eoin Morgan, whether it was the top-aggression order's or Dinesh Karthik's explosive finish.

Morgan's intention was clear from the start, when he chose to leave out Sunil Narine, their most trusted lieutenant. Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill, the left-right opening pair, began attacking from the first ball, clearly signaling that the new approach had Morgan's success mantra written all over it.

2020 was a season of hope for KKR, with Andre Russell, Karthik, and Morgan in the middle order, but some rudderless preparation did not help their cause.

This time, KKR has added Bangladesh superstar Shakib Al Hasan to their middle-order, while Morgan, in his first full season as captain, adds a new dimension to the team.

On Sunday, Rana's deft wrist work and brute strength were on full display, ensuring that they stayed ahead amid Rashid Khan's twin blows of Gill and Russell.

Following Rana's 56-ball 80, it was Karthik's unbeaten 22-run cameo from nine balls that helped KKR to a winning total of 187 for 6.

On Tuesday, KKR will look to come out with all guns blazing against the five-time champions. They've only won once in their last 12 games against MI, and their head-to-head record is a dismal 6-21.

But, in the end, it will come down to a war of wits between Morgan and Rohit Sharma, whose captaincy led MI to a historic fifth IPL title in the UAE last season.

The MI attack would be a whole different scenario. MI will present a serious challenge for KKR, who will be desperate to win their first match of the season after losing by two wickets to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL opener on Friday.

Gill's inability to bat at T20 pace has been a source of concern for KKR, so it will be important to see how he approaches the game against the best.

MI's explosive middle-order consisting Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and the Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- also failed to fire as they were restricted to 159 for 9.


Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Pawan Negi.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Mohsin Khan, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Aditya Tare, Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter Nile, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar.