Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Predictions: Mumbai will be high on confidence after registering thier first win against DC

Playing in their fifth game of the season Mumbai Indians will welcome Kolkata Knight Riders in the 22nd game of the season at Wankhede Stadium on 16th April. Mumbai has gotten its season underway with a win over Delhi Capitals. Kolkata on the other hand were defeated by the Sunrisers in the last game. Who will win this game?

The Mumbai Indians bounced back from their two initial losses of the season with a 6-wicket victory over the Delhi Capitals in their latest match. Despite this triumph, the five-time champions must work harder to secure a top-four finish. The opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan finally found form, providing a quick start, and they hope to repeat that performance. Tilak Varma has been consistent at number 3, but the Mumbai Indians are worried about the poor form of Surya Kumar Yadav, Tim David, and Cameron Green, though they have potential against the weak KKR bowling unit. Jason Behrendorff, who took a 3-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals, and Riley Meredith lead the pace attack, while Piyush Chawla is the only regular spinner in the team. Hrithik Shokeen and other part-timers may have to fill in during the middle overs.

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Nehal Wadhera, Jofra Archer, Arshad Khan, Piyush Chawla, Jason Behrendorff

In their latest match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a disappointing loss in a high-scoring game, with overseas batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Andre Russell failing to perform and contributing to the team falling 23 runs short of the target. However, there were still some positives to take from the match despite the defeat, including Nitesh Rana's impressive innings under pressure and Rinku Singh's quick fifty, proving that his match-winning performance against the Gujarat Titans was not a fluke.

That being said, the top order of N Jagadeesan and Venkatesh Iyer will need to improve their performance and make bigger contributions to the team. In the bowling department, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur have only taken one wicket in four matches, while Lockie Ferguson has only managed one in two matches. The Knight Riders need Tim Southee to return soon to strengthen their pace attack, and in the meantime, they will rely on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy to bowl well in the middle overs.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), N Jagadeesan, Nitish Rana (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is known for favouring slow bowlers over batsmen. Scoring runs can be challenging on this surface, but chasing a target seems relatively easier, as seen in past matches. The pitch provides good opportunities for batsmen to score as the boundaries are short, and the consistent bounce helps them to execute their shots effectively. The average first-inning score at this ground is about 170, but teams batting first will aim for a total closer to 200. Although the pitch has some green patches that can generate movement, dew will not be a significant factor in this day match. We expect Mumbai to get their second win of the tournament in this game.