In the Elimination Final of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians will meet at the Wankhede Stadium on May 25.
For each team, this will be a must-win match as there is no room for mistakes. The losing side will be out of the tournament.
After the 70th game of the first round, which Mumbai won by 5 wickets, the side has come in at No.3, while Kolkata is at 4th position on the points table.
Both the sides have performed well throughout the tournament and there seems to be little or no difference between the strengths of the two.
Last match legacy
Kolkata and Mumabi met in the last game of the first round here at Eden Gardens on May 22. After a neck-to-neck competition, Mumbai won the game by 5 wickets.
This game will surely have a great say in the eliminator. The defeat will mitigate the confidence of Kolkata to a great extent and boost the Mumbai side.
Leaders in light
Gautam Gambhir: The young Indian batsman, who is leading the KKR, is not worried about Sunday’s defeat and says confidently, “It happens in cricket”.
The one-down batsman of Team India hopes that they will make a stunning comeback in the eliminator.
Showing a great sense of responsibility, he is encouraging and defending his players in order to perk them up for the coming game.
Sachin Tendulkar: The world’s top scorer in both Test and ODI cricket is marvellously leading Mumbai.
The legendary batsman is much happy with his players’ match-winning performances in the last game and hopes same for the next clash. However, he confesses, “Knowing KKR, they will come back hard.”
Team Talk
KKR: They pose to be one of the few consistent teams of this tournament.
The squad is well-balanced with sufficient firepower in both batting and bowling departments.
Iqbal Abdulla and Manoj Tiwary are performing well while Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan shine as all-rounders.
The team does have some loopholes in the fielding department and Eion Morgan’s absence may create some issues for them.
Mumbai: Their surprising collapse during this tournament exposed some of their serious flaws.
The team has the best bowling line-up in this tournament with Lasith Malinga and Pollard leading the pace attack and Harbhajan Singh and Ray Price piloting the spin strategy.
However, the bowlers seem to be a little out-of-form.
Munaf Patel, the pacer, was given rest in the last game. He is likely to make stunning comeback in the Eliminator.
Watch-out for
Kallis: The South African all-rounder has dome justice with the bat and ball throughout the tournament.
He is top-ranked Test cricketer of the ICC and his 59 in the last game was instrumental for his side. He is likely to thrive again in the coming do-or-die game.
Harbhajan Singh: The consistent Indian cricketer is delivering excellent all-round performance. He spins the ball to its maximum and take wickets at crucial moments.
He also poses to be a reliable middle-order batsman and adds considerable strength to his outfit.
Pitch condition
The Wankhede Stadium wicket is batting friendly as it has a history of high totals.
The pitch is lively and the outfield has good, sand-based grass. The temperature on May 25 is likely to be around 28 - 30° C. The home ground factor will benefit Mumbai side.
Last word
It is a make-or-break game for each side. The competition will be tough as both the teams are of equal caliber.
A large crowd is expected at this crucial game. The winner of the Eliminator will play against the loser of Qualifier 1, on May 27. Let us see which rises and which falls.
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