Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and elected to field first against defending champions Mumbai Indians. In a major boost, skipper Rohit Sharma has returned to the playing XI after missing out the last game due to a hamstring injury. Sharma's return gives the 5 time champions a major boost who are still without their star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma said, that his team is looking to start from scratch and will try to get the basics right. Mumbai Indians have had an inconsistent campaign but have managed to hang on to the fourth spot after 8 games.
They let their previous game against Chennai Super Kings slip away after having them reeling at 24 for 4. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders were down and out during the Indian leg of the tournament with only 2 wins in 7 games but have started the UAE leg with a thumping 9-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. The bowlers led by Varun Chakravarthy and Russell rolled over RCB for a mere 92 and the new opening pair of Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer batted with maturity to keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss for either side will be a big blow going forward in the tournament. The Eoin Morgan-led side, which has won only 1 out of 12 matches against Mumbai Indians in the last five years, will have a stiffer challenge at hand than they did against the Royal Challengers Bangalore
