Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians

The semi-finalists will already have been decided by the time Kolkata play Mumbai on Monday, but no one should pass up an opportunity to see the Little Master at the top of his game, says Tobias Gourlay.
Venue & Conditions
The final group-stage game of IPL 2010 will be played at Eden Gardens, where the Kolkata Knight Riders have so far won four of six matches. The ground was used most recently on Sunday, when the pitch was slow and the Rajasthan Royals couldn't stop losing wickets. Compare that to a couple of weeks ago, when the home side's 200/3 wasn't enough to keep bottom-of-the-table Kings XI Punjab at bay.
Team News
Results went against Kolkata yesterday and they can't now qualify for the semi-finals. It's not clear what team they will select for their valedictory game. A couple of days ago, 18-year-old left-armer Jaidev Unadkat took three wickets in only his second IPL match and might reasonably expect another go on Monday. Otherwise, the selectors might make the foreign stars - Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, Shane Bond among them - earn their money or they might decide it would be profitable in a different way to give younger local players a chance.
If Mumbai give Lasith Malinga a chance to pick up the rock 'n' roll rhythm of T20 before their semi-final, they might well be at full strength. Malinga's had a few matches off recently, but Mumbai's other star performers have all stayed in the team.
Match Odds
Saturday's easy eight-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals kept Kolkata's hopes of a semi-final place alive, but then they needed the Kings XI Punjab, who were already eliminated, to beat the Chennai Super Kings in Sunday's first match. Shaun Marsh, who wanted to show Australia what they will miss at next month's T20 World Cup, heaved 88* but MS Dhoni again showed himself to be one of the game's supreme finishers and rendered this match all but meaningless.
Mumbai qualified for the semi-finals a while ago and are now well used to meaningless matches. They have won the last two they have played and they are the best team in the tournament, so it's quite right that they're 1.73 favourites to win in Kolkata, where Sachin Tendulkar's presence in the team will ensure the Eden Gardens crowd isn't as hostile as it usually is to visitors.
Top Batsman
The whole world should be pleased that Tendulkar has overtaken Jacques Kallis, who was recently seen diddling 27 runs from 37 balls for Bangalore, as IPL 2010's leading run-scorer. If Tendulkar plays, he will, of course, lead the Top Mumbai Batsman market. He made 71* in the reverse fixture at the Brabourne Stadium, but the competition has warmed up now. Big-hitting Kieron Pollard and clean-hitting JP Duminy have both shown themselves capable of raising the tempo of the Little Master's symphonies.
The reverse fixture, almost a month ago, was Chris Gayle's first game of the tournament. His 75 wasn't enough for his team that day, but it did win him the Top Kolkata Batsman market. The West Indian's added only one more half-century since then, while another late arrival, Brendon McCullum, has barely accrued a half-century from four innings. Like his opening partner, Sourav Ganguly, the Kiwi has scored surprisingly slowly.
Highest Six Over Total
McCullum is widely remembered for his 158* in the first-ever IPL game a couple of years ago. This season, his strike rate is only 106. Ganguly has ambled along at 118. Because Tendulkar (SR 136) launches only ground assaults, it's counter-intuitive to back his team in the Highest Six Over Total market, but that should mean there'll be a generous odds-against price on Mumbai that will be worth thinking about, whoever his opening partner is (he's had a different one in each of the last four games).
Trivia
If you back Mumbai and the match is close, don't lose your nerve. They're the best in the league in the last six overs, scoring at more than 11 runs per over and conceding at 8 an over.
Tobias Gourlay Says: Back Mumbai Indians at 1.73 to beat Kolkata Knight Riders