KKR vs MI IPL 2024: Who Will be the Top Four Wicket-takers in Kolkata vs Mumbai?

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In the Match 60 of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians will return to the iconic Eden Gardens for the first time since 2019 to face the table leaders on Sunday (May 11).

Kolkata Knight Riders with 16 points in eleven matches sitting at the top of the table whereas MI placed ninth with eight points in twelve matches, just above PBKS.

KKR remains unbeaten for the last three matches, including the match against Mumbai at Wankhede. On the other hand, Mumbai made a comeback against SRH, ending a four-match losing streak.

Both teams have met each other on 33 occasions in the past. MI have won 23 of them while KKR have managed to get victorious 10 times only.

Despite having an incredible record of winning 10 out of the 13 matches played in this venue, MI will come to Kolkata as the first team to get eliminated this season. In recent years, KKR have tried to improve their stats against their rivals, as they won three out of the last five matches.

IPL 2024 KKR vs MI: Bowling Squad Comparison

The Knights' bowling unit has been exceptional this season with five bowlers in the top twenty of the highest wicket-takers list. In the spin department, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy are doing extremely well.

They both have bagged 30 wickets so far. Barring Harshit Rana, the pace department remains a concern for KKR. Mitchell Starc is far from his best form. Despite getting wickets Starc has been one of the most expensive bowlers of the season.

On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah is the only silver lining in the MI bowling line-up. All other pacers remain inconsistent and expensive. Gerald Coetzee despite getting 13 wickets has an economy rate of 10.18.

Nuwan Thusara was successful in the last match against KKR at Wankhede and toppled the KKR top order very early in the match. Anshul Kamboj also had a promising display in the last match against SRH. In the spin department, Piyush Chawla will be the only veteran and can be a potent threat for the hosts at the spinner-friendly Eden Gardens.

IPL 2024 KKR vs MI: Who Will be the Highest Wicket-takers in Match 60?

Sunil Narine (KKR): With an unprecedented series of all-round performances, this legendary Caribbean mystery spinner played a key role in the KKR's successful run so far in this IPL. Narine has delivered 101 dot balls and has the second-best economy rate (6.61) this IPL.

The 35-year-old right-arm offspinner has bagged 14 wickets this season and has been vital in choking the opponents' run rates in the middle overs across the matches. With 177 IPL career wickets, Narine will be a key element also in the clash against MI.

Andre Russel (KKR): As Mitchell Starc is still out of form and barring Harshit Rana there is a dearth of quality pacer in the Knight squad, it was the perfect stage for Dre Russ to shine up with the ball in hand.

Despite being irregular at bowling the right-arm fast bowler has picked 13 wickets this season. With smart variations in speed, the 36-year-old Caribbean is excellent at picking wickets in crucial times. Russel has dismissed Suryakumar Yadav thrice, including the last match. KKR would hope for the same result from this duel.

Jasprit Bumrah (MI): The Indian right-arm fast bowler is currently at the second position in the race for the Purple Cap with 18 wickets this season. He also has the best economy rate (6.2) this season with the highest number of deliveries (139).

The 30-year-old would be a great match-up against the KKR middle-order batters like Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh, as he scalped them twice each. It will be a great challenge for the Knights to face the accurate yorkers with high speed at the deathovers.

Nuwan Thushara (MI): The 29-year-old Srilankan pacer took three wickets in his first two overs against KKR, just a week ago. The right-arm medium-fast bowler has very limited experience in the IPL and only picked four wickets in five matches. With his unique bowling action, Thushara could be a threat to the Knight openers like Salt and Narine.

The visitors have nothing to lose other than having a few consolation wins while this match could be a great chance for the Knights to seal the spot for the play-offs, also a spot in the top two.

As a result, a fearless approach is expected from the Mumbai side and KKR will also try to be at their best at this crucial juncture of the tournament. Hence, a nail-biting thriller can be expected from this weekend's clash between these two arch-rivals.