Mumbai Indians (MI) are taking on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The stage is set at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where fans gathered in excitement of an exhilarating contest.
MI captain Hardik Pandya‘s decision to field first after winning the toss aimed to capitalize on early game conditions, promising an intense battle from the onset. In a strategic move, MI made a notable change to their final XI, replacing Mohammad Nabi with Naman Dhir.
Moreover, the absence of opener Rohit Sharma from the initial lineup raised eyebrows, as he was poised to enter the fray as an impactful player later in the game. KKR, on the other hand, are playing without their pace bowler Harshit Rana.
Reason behind the absence of Harshit Rana
Notably, Harshit’s absence from the KKR lineup stemmed from a recent disciplinary action following a breach of the IPL Code of Conduct during their match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 29. The cricketer incurred a one-match suspension and was fined 100% of his match fees after violating a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct. Admitting to the infraction, Rana accepted the Match Referee’s sanction, which is deemed final and binding for Level 1 breaches. Consequently, Rana’s sidelining was mandated for the current fixture against Mumbai.
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MI vs KKR: Playing XIs of both teams
Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Tim David, Gerald Coetzee, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara
Kolkata Knight Riders: Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Substitutes of both sides
MI: Rohit Sharma, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Romario Shepherd.
KKR: Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Srikar Bharat, Sherfane Rutherford, Chetan Sakariya
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