Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders will face each other in the 70th competition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at Eden Gardens Kolkata, on May 22, 2011.
The Mumbai side has played 13 matches so far, out of which they have won eight and are placed at fourth place in the IPL standings, with 16 points.
Mumbai, under the captaincy of the Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, started the tournament with a bang and enjoyed two consecutive victories.
They then went ahead to lose the next competition to the debutant, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, by eight wickets.
Following this loss, Mumbai made a strong come back and enjoyed three consecutive victories in the next clashes.
Their next loss came against the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets. However, they earned their respect back in the next three competitions.
Mumbai had been leading the points table for the most part of the ongoing League, but their last three defeats pushed them down on the fourth spot.
Mumbai have a variety of players in their squad, including top class bowlers from India and overseas.
The fiery Lankan pacer, Lasith Malinga, is a great asset for Mumbai. The right-arm speedster is the top wicket-taker of the tournament, with 27 wickets in 13 matches.
The Sri Lankan bowler took an impressive start in the tournament with five wickets for 13 against Delhi Daredevils and was crowned Player of the Match. He then carried his form in the next game and again picked two wickets for 32 in a winning cause.
Malinga maintained his performance in the next competitions, giving a stellar show against the Pune Warriors, where he picked three wickets for 25.
Malinga’s bowling was also remarkable against Delhi Daredevils, with figures of 2 for 18.
Munaf is another very useful bowler for Mumbai. He is the second highest wicket-taker of the current season.
In the thirteen matches played so far, he has claimed 17 wickets at an average of 17.88.
In the first three matches, he failed to make his mark, however, in the fourth game against Pune, he picked three wickets for eight and was titled the Player of the Match.
In the next two competitions, Munaf was average. However, he came back with two wickets for 18 against Rajasthan Royals in his side’s seventh match.
His best performance was seen against Punjab though, where he picked five wickets for 21, but sadly in a losing cause.
Harbhajan Singh is the third highest wicket taker for his side with 13 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 21.38.
Harbhajan took a good start with two wickets in the opening match, but in the next two games, he was unable to reap any wickets for his side.
His best performance was seen against the Chennai Super Kings, where he picked five wickets for 18, guiding his side to an eight-wicket victory.
With such a strong bowling attack, Mumbai is expected to give a tough time to Kolkata’s batsmen.
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