Kolkata Knight Riders have a poor record against Mumbai Indians having won only seven of their 29 encounters. But recent performances will give Shreyas Iyer’s men the edge going into Wednesday’s match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

Mumbai, searching for their first points in IPL-15, have several issues to fix, starting with Rohit Sharma at the top. The captain has failed to deliver and though Ishan Kishan has been in good touch, the team has failed to gel together. Rohit though has scored over 1000 runs against KKR in spite of being troubled by the spin of Sunil Narine.

MI’s bowling has been scratchy despite the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. They were in a winning position against Delhi Capitals but were let down in the slog overs.

They have also been missing a good wrist spinner to make up for the exit of Rahul Chahar.

Pune has been kind to the bowlers. In the last two matches, the bowlers have been able to defend their totals and that should be encouraging news for both teams. Dew hasn’t played a role, making it easier for the team losing the toss.

The good news for KKR is that Pat Cummins will be available, as confirmed by head coach Brendon McCullum, and that should sort out some of their slog over issues. The Australian pacer could make the XI in place of Tim Southee.

“Pretty delighted to get Pat back. He is a wonderful human being and can blend with the environment easily. He’s going to add another layer of leadership in and around Shreyas, who has been impressive as well,” McCullum said.

Umesh Yadav has been prolific; the spin duo of Narine and Varun Chakravarthy has delivered, though the latter has struggled with the soft ball. Andre Russell could again hold the key for KKR. But all eyes will be on the duel between him and his nemesis Bumrah.