As the teams inch towards their last couple of matches, they will also be eager to avoid any late hiccups to dent their chances of making it to the playoffs. Two of the relatively better-placed teams, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, will come head to head on Wednesday for their second meeting this season.
With 17 points so far, Kolkata Knight Riders have a reasonable chance of making it to the playoffs though they have stuttered a bit lately. They succumbed to a last-ball defeat to Chennai Super Kings in the last match where they would have felt their batting let them down.
After a strong start by Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum, the middle-order failed to carry on the good work, leaving them at least 15 runs short of what they would have liked. The bowlers found the going hard with the exception of Sunil Narine who continues to pick up wickets regularly. He will be the key yet again as Knight Riders chase their ninth win.
For the Mumbai Indians, their win over Royal Challengers Bangalore did not only fetch them two crucial points, it also enabled them into boosting their morale courtesy of a strong come-from-behind win. Set a challenging target of 172, their top-order crumbled to 44 for four before Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard combined to turn the tide.
The pair put on an unbeaten partnership with Rayudu scoring 81 off 54 balls while Pollard blasted his way to 52 from just 31 balls. Currently in second place, Mumbai Indians will seal a spot with one win from their last two matches.
Lasith Malinga will be their main weapon with the ball having been the pick of the bowlers this season.
The match will be played in Mumbai starting at 8.00pm local time. Mumbai won their last meeting against Kolkata Knight Riders last week.