The man who led them to glory just a season ago could now stand in the way of Kolkata Knight Riders' playoff qualification when the side hosts the Shreyas Iyer-led revamped Punjab Kings in a high-stakes IPL clash here at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Twelve months ago, Iyer had led KKR to their first IPL title in a decade. On Saturday, he returns in opposition colours, at the helm of a rejuvenated Punjab side chasing a playoff spot.
Let go by KKR in one of the most surprising off-season moves, Iyer has found both comfort and purpose in Punjab Kings.
Reuniting with his old Delhi Capitals mentor Ricky Ponting, the duo has steadied PBKS into the top five of the table with five wins from eight games.
The partnership has given Iyer the space to lead confidently and he has tallied 263 runs with three half-centuries so far. However, he comes into the weekend game, carrying three single digit scores.
Saturday offers him the perfect chance to make a statement -- much like KL Rahul did the other against his former franchise Lucknow Super Giants with a composed 57 not out.
Iyer too could have a Rahul-like moment under the Eden lights.
KKR, on the other hand, are in desperate need of momentum.
With five defeats in eight matches, another stumble could tighten their already narrow path to the playoffs.
Their top-order remains unsettled, the middle-order erratic, and the spin attack ineffective on a surface they once called their fortress.
KKR's middle-order trio of Russell, Rinku and Ramandeep has failed to deliver the finishing punch this season, prompting calls for a shake-up.
The team may be forced to bring in Caribbean all-rounder Rovman Powell, whose power-hitting and handy pace can add much-needed spark and balance.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, one of the few bright spots in KKR's batting, might once again look to negotiate the tricky phase when the likes of Arshdeep Singh (Punjab's leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps) and Yuzvendra Chahal operate.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane too will be under the scanner, having anchored the innings well at times but struggled to shift gears and finish games.
He will be wary of Yuzvendra Chahal, who dismantled KKR in their demoralising 95 all-out collapse only last week by claiming the wickets of Rahane, Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh in a devastating spell.
With Marco Jansen providing the early menace and new find Nehal Wadhera managing tidy finishes, PBKS certainly look a more confident and well-rounded outfit.
For KKR's bowling unit, Harshit Rana's duel with PBKS opener Priyansh Arya could set the tone. Arya smashed a century against Chennai Super Kings earlier this season.
Despite their troubles, KKR are, however, still alive in the playoffs race.
Winning five of their remaining six games could be sufficient, but anything less would leave them dependent on other results.
For this to happen, KKR must fix their home record, which is just one win from four matches here.
The much-publicised friction with Eden curator Sujan Mukherjee over pitch preparations has drawn unwanted attention and debates over spin-friendly surfaces, fairness, and even calls from commentators to consider shifting base.
Despite it being slow and grippy, which is exactly what KKR wanted, Sunil Narine has taken just two wickets at the Eden. Varun Chakravarthy (4) has been marginally better, while Moeen Ali has failed to strike in two matches.
Teams (from):
KKR: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Chetan Sakariya.
PBKS: Shreyas Iyer (c), Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Thakur, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Kuldeep Sen, Pyla Avinash, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Harnoor Pannu, Aaron Hardie, Priyansh Arya, Azmatullah Omarzai.
Match starts: 7.30pm.
