IPL 2021, MI vs KKR: Pitch, weather report and probable playing XIs for Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders match

Defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will face two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening (September 23). This will be match number 34 in the IPL 2021 edition where both sides will look to pick up two vital points as the tournament is progressing towards its business end.

Talking about the MI franchise, they started the second and final leg with a 20-run loss at the hands of MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on September 19. They will hope to see the return of regular captain Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in the playing XI as MI often look vulnerable when their core players miss out. On the other hand, KKR started the UAE leg with a bang, beating Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 8 wickets and 10 overs to spare.

After a disappointing first leg, KKR need to get on a winning streak to enter the top four. For that, they will have to beat a daunting MI line-up, who have often dominated the Kolkata franchise.

Ahead of match 34, here's everything you need to know about the pitch report, weather and probable playing XI:

Weather and pitch report:While the average first-inning score at Abu Dhabi remained 155 for other teams, MI found a formula to go beyond it and score 187 on an average during IPL 2020. They have enjoyed playing here, with some help to their pacers initially while their batters have also hit the ground running at the venue. If they rediscover their form, KKR will have plenty to ponder upon. On the weather front, there are no chances of rain interrupting the face-off on Thursday evening.

Predicted Playing XIs for MI vs KKR

KKR Probable XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

MI Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Saurabh Tiwary, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult