IPL: 3 Active players to play for both MI and KKR in league history

MI and KKR league history will be in a must-win situation when they take on the 51st match of the IPL 2024. The good thing for them is that the match is set to take place at Wankehede Stadium in Mumbai. There is another positive for the home side – their head-to-head record. The five-time champions have dominated the two-time champions in the faceoffs. Despite that, MI would not fancy their chances to beat KKR in the upcoming match.

MI had a lot of contributors with the bat in the first 4-5 matches in the league. However, in the last five games, none of their batters have been consistent barring Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera to a certain extent. With a constant struggle in the batting unit, their bowling is highly dependent on Jasprit Bumrah. The opponents realize he is the threat, play him out, and target other bowlers to score runs. At Wankhede Stadium, the home side needs to give their best performance to stay alive in the tournament.

On the other hand, the only better aspect of KKR has been their batting. At the top, they have a reliant pair like Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. Lower down the order, they have great finishers like Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, and Rinku Singh. In the bowling department, Narine has been the decisive factor in their success. Given the strength and performances of both sides, KKR would start as favorites. But the head-to-head record nearly evens out the advantage.

Also read: IPL 2024 Points Table

Here are the three players who have played for both MI and KKR in the history of the league –

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has represented only two franchises so far. His debut in the league happened with KKR. In the first few seasons, he was regarded as a prodigy. In KKR, the star batter was used as a finisher. The right-handed batter was not that good during his stint for KKR, probably the reason why he was released from the squad for the 2018 season. From 2014 to 2017, he played 54 matches for the two-time champions and scored 608 runs at an average of 22.52 and an SR of 131.89, including a solitary fifty.

In the IPL auction 2018, he was picked by MI. Over the years, he has batted mostly as an opener or as a middle-order batter for MI. He was key in two title runs for MI in 2019 and 2020. The right-handed batter has phenomenal numbers for the five-time champions. In 90 innings for the home side, the unorthodox batter has scored 2817 runs at a batting average of 34.35, and a great batting strike rate of 147.56, including a hundred and 22 fifty-plus scores to his name. In the last season, he scored over 600 runs at an SR of over 180.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane’s IPL journey began for his home side. In two seasons, the star batter represented MI. However, it was after joining RR that he got the recognition as a T20 batter. In MI, he was an irregular. In 10 matches for the side, the 35-year-old has 148 runs at a batting average of 18.50, and SR of 105.71 including two fifty-plus scores. For the Mumbai-based franchise, he either scored fifties or performed too badly in other instances. As a result, Rahane was released after the IPL 2009.

Over the years, he has played for several teams like RR, RPS, CSK, DC, and KKR. In the IPL 2022, he was a part of KKR. The top-order batter got a solid run for the half of the season. But the lack of confidence was visible in his batting. It did not help his batting as he scored 133 runs in seven innings at a batting average of 19.00, at SR of just 103.91, including a best score of just 44. Not many might be aware of the fact that he played for both Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Also read: Purple Cap in IPL 2024

Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana started his career with MI. Much like Suryakumar, Rana played for two franchises in the league – KKR and MI. He came to the fore by batting well for MI. In 2016 and 2017, the Southpaw was a part of the five-time champions. In 2016, he scored 104 runs in three innings at an average of 34.67 and SR of 138.67 with a best score of 70. The following season in 2017, he played 12 innings and scored 333 runs at an average of 30.27 and SR of 126.14 with 3 fifties to his name.

His best has come for KKR without a doubt. From 2018, he has been a part of the two-time champions. The star batter has 2166 runs in 85 innings for KKR so far at an average of 28.13 and an SR of 136.23, including 14 fifties to his name. The middle-order batter has been a bit underrated for his performances for KKR when not many stepped up with the bat till the IPL 2024. He has been handy as a bowler, claiming 10 wickets at an average of 24.90 and SR of just 17.67.