SWOT ANALYSIS
Mumbai Indians
Strength: It is the intimidating line-up of the Sachin Tendulkar-led squad that makes them look the strongest of the lot. Individually, Tendulkar, Symonds, Sharma, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan are match winners.
Weakness: Pressure. With so many big stars in the team, they have enormous pressure on them to do well.
Opportunities: With his last ball six, Ambati Rayudu should've gained a world of confidence against Knight Riders in the previous game. If Rayudu carries that confidence into the playoffs, MI will benefit a lot..
Threats: The team's batting - up the order - hasn't clicked the way MI would have wanted to. The batting order too hasn't been consistent with Symonds and Pollard continuously in the order.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Strength: To be fair to Gautam Gambhir's team, they've made it to the playoffs riding on a commendable team performance. KKR haven't banked on any individual to help their cause, which makes them so dangerous. To top it, Gambhir's captaincy has been inspiring for a team that was desperate to have a new leader.
Weakness: The biggest disadvantage for Gautam Gambhir in this tournament has been the lack of performance from his pace attack. Brett Lee hasn't figured among wickets much while Laxmipathy Balaji has been way too costly.
Opportunity: Yusuf Pathan is yet to make his mark in this IPL and he'll have his best chance in the playoffs. If Pathan gets going the way he's done in the past, no target would seem very high for the Knights.
Threat: Gambhir's team has to be wary of not letting away the initiative in the end overs.
KEY CLASHES
Kallis vs Malinga
Jacques Kallis will have to click up the order for Knights to get off to a good start and that will mean the South African having to deal with the lethal Lasith Malinga. The fast bowler has troubled batsmen from all teams this tournament and therefore, this is will be a mouthwatering contest to look forward to.
Rohit vs Abdulla & Yusuf
Rohit Sharma has been a vital cog in the MI batting line up while Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan have been KKR's highest wicket takers. The Wankhede will be humid enough for the dice to roll in favour of spinners and therefore, how Sharma deals with these bowlers will be crucial.
Tendulkar vs Gambhir
Both Tendulkar and Gambhir had said that peaking at the right time will be crucial for any team looking to stay right till the end. The time has come and from here, how the captains instill confidence in their team members will be the deciding factor. Tendulkar's experience versus Gambhir's flair will certainly be the talking point.
X-Factor
Mumbai Indians: James Franklin
The Kiwi pacer can wield the long handle and the Knight Riders will vouch for the mayhem he can cause after what he did to them at the Eden Gardens. Franklin not only swings the ball, but gets the odd ball to bounce with his seamless bowling action. The quickie will give the hosts the psychological edge after his Eden heroics.
M: 6, Wkts: 3, Best Bowling: 2-35, Avg: 29.66, Econ: 9.70
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shakib Al Hasan
At the start of the tournament KKR bowling consultant Wasim Akram had dubbed the Bangladesh all-rounder as a trump card in the side's hunt for its maiden IPL title. Shakib's more than a wicket-taking bowler with the guile to stymie the run rate in the middle overs. He hasn't set the stage on fire though with just 9 wickets under his belt.
M: 6, Wkts: 9, Best Bowling: 3-28, Avg: 16.77, Econ: 6.81
Likely Teams
Mumbai Indians: Suman, Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Rohit, Pollard, Franklin, Rayudu, Sathish, Abu Nechim, Price, Malinga
Kolkata Knight Riders: J Kallis, S Goswami, G Gambhir, M Tiwary, Y Pathan, Doeschate, R Bhatia, Shakib Al Hasan, B Lee, L Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla
Mumbai Indians:
Top three batsmen: Tendulkar, Rohit, Rayudu
Top three bowlers: Malinga, Munaf, Harbhajan
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Top three batsmen: Kallis, Gambhir, Pathan
Top three bowlers: Lee, Shakib, Abdulla
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Mumbai Indians
Strength: It is the intimidating line-up of the Sachin Tendulkar-led squad that makes them look the strongest of the lot. Individually, Tendulkar, Symonds, Sharma, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan are match winners.
Weakness: Pressure. With so many big stars in the team, they have enormous pressure on them to do well.
Opportunities: With his last ball six, Ambati Rayudu should've gained a world of confidence against Knight Riders in the previous game. If Rayudu carries that confidence into the playoffs, MI will benefit a lot..
Threats: The team's batting - up the order - hasn't clicked the way MI would have wanted to. The batting order too hasn't been consistent with Symonds and Pollard continuously in the order.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Strength: To be fair to Gautam Gambhir's team, they've made it to the playoffs riding on a commendable team performance. KKR haven't banked on any individual to help their cause, which makes them so dangerous. To top it, Gambhir's captaincy has been inspiring for a team that was desperate to have a new leader.
Weakness: The biggest disadvantage for Gautam Gambhir in this tournament has been the lack of performance from his pace attack. Brett Lee hasn't figured among wickets much while Laxmipathy Balaji has been way too costly.
Opportunity: Yusuf Pathan is yet to make his mark in this IPL and he'll have his best chance in the playoffs. If Pathan gets going the way he's done in the past, no target would seem very high for the Knights.
Threat: Gambhir's team has to be wary of not letting away the initiative in the end overs.
KEY CLASHES
Kallis vs Malinga
Jacques Kallis will have to click up the order for Knights to get off to a good start and that will mean the South African having to deal with the lethal Lasith Malinga. The fast bowler has troubled batsmen from all teams this tournament and therefore, this is will be a mouthwatering contest to look forward to.
Rohit vs Abdulla & Yusuf
Rohit Sharma has been a vital cog in the MI batting line up while Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan have been KKR's highest wicket takers. The Wankhede will be humid enough for the dice to roll in favour of spinners and therefore, how Sharma deals with these bowlers will be crucial.
Tendulkar vs Gambhir
Both Tendulkar and Gambhir had said that peaking at the right time will be crucial for any team looking to stay right till the end. The time has come and from here, how the captains instill confidence in their team members will be the deciding factor. Tendulkar's experience versus Gambhir's flair will certainly be the talking point.
X-Factor
Mumbai Indians: James Franklin
The Kiwi pacer can wield the long handle and the Knight Riders will vouch for the mayhem he can cause after what he did to them at the Eden Gardens. Franklin not only swings the ball, but gets the odd ball to bounce with his seamless bowling action. The quickie will give the hosts the psychological edge after his Eden heroics.
M: 6, Wkts: 3, Best Bowling: 2-35, Avg: 29.66, Econ: 9.70
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shakib Al Hasan
At the start of the tournament KKR bowling consultant Wasim Akram had dubbed the Bangladesh all-rounder as a trump card in the side's hunt for its maiden IPL title. Shakib's more than a wicket-taking bowler with the guile to stymie the run rate in the middle overs. He hasn't set the stage on fire though with just 9 wickets under his belt.
M: 6, Wkts: 9, Best Bowling: 3-28, Avg: 16.77, Econ: 6.81
Likely Teams
Mumbai Indians: Suman, Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Rohit, Pollard, Franklin, Rayudu, Sathish, Abu Nechim, Price, Malinga
Kolkata Knight Riders: J Kallis, S Goswami, G Gambhir, M Tiwary, Y Pathan, Doeschate, R Bhatia, Shakib Al Hasan, B Lee, L Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla
Mumbai Indians:
Top three batsmen: Tendulkar, Rohit, Rayudu
Top three bowlers: Malinga, Munaf, Harbhajan
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Top three batsmen: Kallis, Gambhir, Pathan
Top three bowlers: Lee, Shakib, Abdulla
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