-Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai
All eyes were on local boy and captain Ajinkya Rahane as Kolkata Knight Riders practiced at Wankhede Stadium ahead of their third match in the IPL 2025 against Mumbai Indians. While MI have dominated the head-to-head, winning 23 times and losing just thrice to KKR, it will be intriguing to see how the defending champions fare against the five-time winners.
KKR have several focal points as they aim to maintain their winning momentum after defeating Rajasthan Royals in their last encounter in Guwahati. Will Sunil Narine play after missing the previous game due to illness? Will KKR persist with Spencer Johnson, who conceded 31 runs in 2.2 overs against RCB and 42 in four overs against RR? How will the KKR middle order comprising Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, tackle the MI spinners?
Rahane was among the first to go into the nets, beginning with a few throwdowns before facing spinners like Varun Chakaravarthy, Mayank Markande and a couple of net bowlers to hone his skills against spin. Against RR, the skipper played five dot balls against spinners out of the 15 deliveries he faced before being dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga. Although Rahane, the leading run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Mumbai, started IPL 2025 on a stellar note with 56 off 31 balls against RCB in the opener, his power game against slower bowlers, especially outside the Powerplay, came under scrutiny against RR. With the Wankhede surface expected to favour batsmen, Rahane freed his arms against the spinners during Saturday’s nets session. With smaller boundaries, even mishits soared into the stands. Overall, his timing was exquisite and he will look to leverage his familiarity with this venue.
Narine, who missed the RR match due to illness, returned to the nets, starting the day with a dozen hits before briefly retreating to the dressing room. He later returned to sit behind the nets for a long chat with KKR CEO Venky Mysore. Narine, along with Rovman Powell, enjoyed watching Ramandeep Singh’s power-hitting display before padding up. One of the last to bat at the nets, he focused solely on power-hitting and did not bowl or participate in fielding or fitness drills. With Narine back at the nets, he is likely to return to the playing XI against MI.
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Anrich Nortje could be a significant addition to KKR’s playing XI after the Proteas speedster bowled for about an hour, mostly to Quinton de Kock, Moeen Ali, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep. The South African bowled at his usual high pace, consistently hitting the bat sticker hard. Though Johnson also bowled, he didn’t operate at full intensity for most of the session.
Andre Russell, on whose power-hitting KKR heavily rely, had a couple of stints at the nets, sending balls flying into the stands. When Russell bats, the focus is always on range hitting. However, he also had an extended bowling session, delivering to Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Luvnith Sisodia. With KKR yet to use Russell as a bowler in the tournament, it will be interesting to see if the Caribbean all-rounder gets to roll his arm over at Wankhede.
The mood in the KKR camp was jovial, filled with laughter and a few dance steps from Russell, Rinku, Venkatesh Iyer, and Gurbaz, reflecting a fun yet competitive environment.
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