The Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders do battle in a match that will decide the second finalist of IPL 2017. Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League this season has certainly thrown up the proverbial humdinger, with two of the league's most successful sides battling it out to join the Rising Pune Supergiant in the final.
Momentum is certainly with the Kolkata Knight Riders going into this match, considering KKR are coming off a win, and a brilliant one at that, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While the Mumbai Indians rightly get a second chance at making the final, having finished top of the IPL 2017 points table, they will need to find their mojo quickly after a sooner-forgotten-the-better performance against RPS in Qualifier 1.
Here is a look at how MI vs KKR could go.
If Mumbai Indians bat first:
Parthiv Patel is dismissed in the first over by a peach of an in-swinger from Umesh Yadav, but the Mumbai Indians show no signs of being troubled by that early dismissal as Lendl Simmons and Rohit Sharma take advantage of the fielding restrictions to take 48 runs in the Powerplay.
They do that knowing the run rate will slow down on this slower-than-a-snail pitch, and, as expected, the scoring does come down.
Simmons gets a little frustrated and holes out at long-on to Karn Sharma/Harbhajan Singh (depends on who plays), but Rohit looks in that "I'm making a big knock" mood.
Rohit is joined by Ambati Rayudu, who takes his time before finding those boundaries that MI need.
Going into the final five overs, the Mumbai Indians are on 112, and they need over 150 to make this a proper contest. While Rayudu and Kieron Pollard fall in quick succession, Krunal Pandya comes in and goes slam-bang along with Rohit to take the total to 157.
Sunil Narine does walk in with Chris Lynn this time, and the two go hard at the Mumbai Indians bowlers, with Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga going for plenty in the first two overs.
Rohit brings Jasprit Bumrah in and the India bowler strikes immediately, sending the off pole of Narine for a walk.
Gautam Gambhir walks in and immediately walks out, not because he is dismissed, but because the rain starts to fall in Bengaluru. Now, the delay is not as long as the one in the Eliminator, and after about 45 minutes, we are able to resume a full game.
There are no more rain worries, but the KKR frowns do come up when Lynn is dismissed by Hardik Pandya in the sixth over.
Gambhir and Robin Uthappa need to put on a partnership if KKR are to win, and they do just that with the Karnataka man particularly fluent in his home ground, especially with the pitch just speeding up a touch owing to the rain.
When Yusuf Pathan walks in, KKR need a shade over nine runs an over for a win, and a couple of big blows brings that equation down considerably, so much so that the rest of the chase is easy.
If KKR bat first:
Lynn and Narine fire early – well, for four overs – before the latter is dismissed by McClenaghan.
Gambhir comes in and builds a wonderful partnership with Lynn, who goes on to make another half-century in double quick time.
The platform is set when Lynn falls to Krunal, and while Uthappa fails with the bat, Yusuf Pathan and Suryakumar Yadav are there to ensure KKR finish their first innings on 161.
Anything over 150 is tricky on this track, but the Mumbai Indians begin well thanks to a quick opening partnership between Parthiv and Simmons. While Parthiv falls to Nathan Coulter-Nile for 24, Simmons carries on with Rohit.
These two put on a really nice partnership, which sets the chase up perfectly for their finishers.
And when you have Pollard, Krunal and Hardik Pandya to come and take advantage of a solid base, there is only going to be one winner, as MI join RPS in the IPL 2017 final.
MI skipper Rohit Sharma
"We have to come out & do what we've been doing as a team!'' @ImRo45 on inspiration ahead of the Qualifier.#CricketMeriJaan #CaptainsCorner pic.twitter.com/qP3019IiN9
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 18, 2017
