The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won the IPL in 2014, the last time the tournament was played in UAE, will open their IPL 2020 account against Mumbai Indians (MI), who are seething from their loss against CSK in the tournament opener.
KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik, in a pre-match virtual press conference, mentioned that it is a good thing that they are going against a strong team like MI so early in the tournament. KKR will face MI in Abu Dhabi on September 23.
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"They (Mumbai Indians) have a team of world-class players, they have a strong lineup and the amount of IPL titles they have shows that. It's good that we are playing Mumbai early in the tournament, every year is a different year, I am sure it will be a great game tomorrow," said Dinesh Karthik.
The two teams have played 25 matches against each other, out of which 19 have been won by Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai. This time, however, KKR have bolstered their squad with the likes of Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins, Chris Green, and USA’s Ali Khan. They would want to improve on their fifth-place finish in IPL 2019.
England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan returns to the franchise, he once played for and said that he will be ready for the finisher’s role if asked to do so.
"I think with the squad we have, it gives us a lot of options in both batting and bowling. I think within the squad we have a number of versatile cricketers. I know Andre Russell has played the role of a finisher for KKR, hopefully, if I do get the role of a finisher, I will do that," said Morgan.
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Karthik also revealed that Gill and Narine might open the innings for KKR against MI. He said, "Shubman is a gun, he is a quality player, I am sure he will exceed all expectations, it's good to have him, Gill and Narine make a good opening combination.
Talking about the bowlers in his group, Karthik said: "We have had conversations about the speed that the spinners need to bowl here. We have spoken about it, every franchise must be talking about the speed and length spinners need to bowl in the UAE. All Indian pacers are shaping well, it will be hard to decide as to who will start the tournament. They have come around nicely, we are in a good shape. It's important we as KKR choose the right eleven."
(ANI inputs)
