Rejuvenated KKR aim to restore parity in the most one-sided rivalry in IPL history

Honestly, there is nothing in the record books that suggest an MI-KKR encounter would excite you. It is one of the most one-sided rivalries ever with the five-time champions winning 75.8% of their games against KKR - the highest win% for a team against an opponent amongst the current teams. So much so that even CSK’s dominance over SRH seems pale.

Then what makes the Wednesday night encounter between Kolkata and Mumbai such an enticing proposition? All facts noted, this is probably one of the most open IPLs ever in the last decade, with the dilution in talent ensuring both sides have a fair amount of problems to deal with. In such a situation, KKR have baffled everyone to strike the rod in the most delicate manner, with players holding the forte in their defined space and role. Be it Shreyas Iyer leading the side in an inspiring fashion to Umesh Yadav nailing the powerplay role to Andre Russell finally coming to his own in the middle and death overs as a power-hitter, this has been a story of missing pieces puzzling together to create their own band. 

For Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, things have been a little bit complicated. Their auction gave away the impression that they have gathered a squad, keeping the long-term view in mind, but the immediate failings to get off the mark in the first two games would haunt them in front of the table-toppers who are now brimming with confidence. While their skipper has failed to perform consistently in the last six seasons, only a fool would write off Rohit Sharma who has scored over 1000 runs against KKR at an average of 46.1 - his highest against any team in the IPL. In fact, his only century in the tournament came against the Eastern Indian outfit.

Iyer’s contrasting form may play to MI’s advantage

Shreyas Iyer came to this season’s Indian Premier League in red-hot form - both in T20s and Tests - and with promotion to No.3 guaranteed, he was expected to score big for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, with scores like 20*, 13 and 26, Iyer hasn’t been able to add much finesse to his works. The problem could further get exacerbated against a side like Mumbai Indians and Murugan Ashwin, in particular. 

Since IPL 2019, no batter has got out more times to leg-spinners than Shreyas Iyer. He has looked comfortable against leg-spinners who bowl slower through the air but has struggled against quick wrist-spinners who bowl in excess of 85 KPH. Among the spinners to have dismissed him the most in the IPL, all have been quick spinners and 3 of those have been quick wrist-spinners - Rahul Chahar, Imran Tahir, and Rashid Khan. 

And Murugan Ashwin comes right there to exploit Iyer’s nifty techniques. With Venkatesh Iyer failing to replicate the same performance of IPL 2021 in three consecutive games, KKR are in for a shocking reversal in fortunes if Iyer doesn’t hit the stripe immediately. Shreyas Iyer has been impressive in the way he has marshaled the unit and baked the benefit of having a good season from Umesh Yadav, but he would know runs from the top of the order comes at a premium and KKR can’t afford to lose out on that. 

The return of Pat Cummins

Fortunately for KKR, bowling hasn’t been an issue this season so far, with the likes of Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee making sure the side didn’t feel the absence of Pat Cummins that much. But now that the Australian Test skipper is back in the side, they have further bolstered their bowling line-up, with Tim Southee most likely to make way for Cummins.

It will be interesting to observe how Iyer use Cummins this season. In 2020, the franchise used him more like a powerplay specialist and in 2021, he was used as a strike bowler in all three phases. Now that Umesh has slipped into the powerplay role nicely, there’s a good chance of using Cummins a lot more in the backend this season. That role definition will also dictate the course. 

The SKY factor

Mumbai Indians deeply missed the presence of Suryakumar Yadav in the first two games and it was clearly apparent that Anmolpreet Singh is no match to the standard set by the Mumbaikar. Fortunately for Mumbai, Yadav is set to return for the KKR clash after being out of the side for the first couple of games due to injury concerns. 

Yadav has been MI’s most consistent player ever since he was by the franchise back in 2018. In three of the four years since then, the Mumbaikar has scored over 400 runs. Since 2020, his strike rate has shot up to over 140, making him one of the most consistent and important members in the Indian side as well.

While he bolsters the side in terms of pure pedigree, it was harsh but inevitable for Anmolpreet to be reduced to bench, especially after Tilak Verma played the kind of innings against the Royals. Surely that bolsters Mumbai’s strengths but like many things with the franchise, a sole comeback for perfection will decide the narrative and set up the base for the next one and half months. 

Probable XIs:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills, Basil Thampi