IPL2014: 22nd match – Mumbai Indians v Kings XI Punjab, 3 May, 2014

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There's nothing like the comfort of home venues, specially for IPL teams, and Saturday's match against Kings XI Punjab may just be the fresh start Mumbai Indians are looking for. They were unbeaten in all home games last season and will hope they can keep the table-toppers from ruining their winning streak at the Wankhede.

Mumbai have some of the biggest names in cricket as part of their think-tank, but their squad selections have been baffling.  An Indian batsman would have been ideal for the side, but if they opt for Simmons, it would mean that either Ben Dunk or Corey Anderson would have to be left out.

Compare this with Kings XI who have found balance in the squad early on. Their bowling was profligate at the start of the tournament but on pitches that were wearing down, they stepped up and did well on the days the batting failed. Indian grounds, with their flat tracks and short boundaries, will be a different challenge for them.

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IPL2014: 21st match – Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders, 2 May, 2014

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Losing a match on the boundary count after the scores are tied even in the Super Over can be immensely disappointing. Especially when you needed 16 going into the last two overs of your chase with six wickets in hand. Five days before going down in this manner to Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders were riding the opposite extreme against Royal Challengers Bangalore, who needed 29 off 26 with eight wickets remaining but were stopped short by two runs. As their coach Trevor Bayliss put it, Knight Riders have seen the "highs and lows" of the T20 format in these two games.

The UAE was almost exclusively low for Gautam Gambhir, but he broke his horror run of 0, 0, 0 & 1 by making 45 against Royals. While he did consume 44 deliveries, his knock has to be a big positive for Knight Riders just as the IPL shifts back to India. Gambhir and his side have had just two days to recover from that Super Over, and also shift base from the UAE to Ranchi.

Knight Riders will not have fond memories of Ranchi. The last time they played here, Yusuf Pathan was given out for obstructing the field against Pune Warriors in a close defeat that effectively ended the 2012 defending champions' chances in their 2013 campaign.

Their opponents, Chennai Super Kings, are in familiar territory close to the top of the table with four wins from five games. Only Glenn Maxwell has been able to down them so far. This is the first time they will be playing an IPL match in their captain's hometown. Ranchi has already voted in the ongoing federal election; it has to be seen what the turnout is with the local favourite on show.

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IPL2014: 20th match – Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad, April 30, 2014

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Mumbai Indians have had running problems with the opening partnership in several seasons, and this season has been no different. By their fourth game, they realised that the man who has reinvented himself successfully as a limited-overs opener for India is also an option at the top of their order. Before that, Rohit Sharma was coming in with too much to do after the pair of Michael Hussey and Aditya Tare had failed to provide the kind of starts their side needed.

With fewer games per side this season, Mumbai Indians cannot really afford to keep piling up the losses. Sunrisers Hyderabad are in only a slightly better position with one victory. Their batting looked top-heavy coming into the season, and the fears have come true so far, with a thin middle order unable to step up when the powerful batsmen do not fire upfront. At least the strengths and weaknesses are clearer in Sunrisers' case. Mumbai Indians, as has been the case in the past too, seem to be misfiring without any standout reason.

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IPL2014: 16th match – Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians, April 27, 2014

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Match 16 of Pepsi IPL 2014 will feature the Delhi Daredevils, who wrap their UAE leg of Pepsi IPL 2014, taking on the defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Both teams haven’t had the best of times so far. Delhi Daredevils have a solitary win from four matches – that win came against the Kolkata Knight Riders two matches ago. Post that, they suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings and finished one stroke away from a win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their most recent outing.

Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, have had a forgettable run so far and will want to turn things around quickly. They started the season on a disastrous note, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by a massive 41 runs, before going down to Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in their subsequent matches.

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IPL2014: 13th match – Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, April 25, 2014

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The two traditional heavyweights of the IPL – Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians – go head to head in Match 13 of Pepsi IPL 2014.

The Chennai Super Kings – as is their habit – are gleefully perched in the top half of the table. They were blown away by Kings XI Punjab in their season opener, but came back strongly to outclass Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. The batting caved in meekly in the previous match against RR, but after useful runs from the lower helped them to a respectable total, the bowlers stepped up to restrict the opposition to 133.

Mumbai Indians are the defending champions, but they have had a disastrous start to the season, losing both their matches. Kolkata Knight Riders whipped them by 41 runs in the inaugural match of the season, after which RCB handed them a seven-wicket defeat. MI have managed a total of 237 runs in 40 overs so far, losing 16 wickets in the process. In contrast, they have only managed to pick up eight wickets while conceding 279 runs in 37.3 overs. MI, coming back to the league after a five-day break, will realise that there is an urgent need to get their act together quickly.

Read full article at IPLT20

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IPL 2014: 1st match – Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, April 16, 2014

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Its IPL in action on and off the field but IPL fans are more interested in on-field action rather then off-field and the action will begin from today's match between defending champions Mumbai Indian will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at 7 pm India time.

New Teams, New Venue but same old battle. KKR now does have quality bowlers as well which they were lacking in the earlier seasons. Smith and Sachin are missing from the new MI batting line-up but now they have super performer Hussy in their team now.

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