Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians remained circumspect of the elements in their media advisory in the lead-up to Friday’s practice sessions at Eden Gardens.

“Weather permitting” had been the keyword and both the camps were taken by surprise as clear skies greeted them on arrival. More than winning or losing, an improved weather forecast for Saturday has revived KKR’s hopes of sealing a playoffs berth in their final home match of IPL 2024.

Mumbai Indians may have been eliminated, but the star cast in their line-up has kept the spectators’ interest alive. More than a handful were present in front of Dr B.C. Roy Club House to have a glimpse of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah wasn’t present at Eden Gardens on the match eve and Rohit chose not to have a knock. Suryakumar Yadav though had an extended session with the promise to build on his explosive form which took them to a seven-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match.

Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla at practice at Eden Gardens

Mumbai Indians will be returning to Eden Gardens after four years, having lost their last meeting here against the Knights, their title triumph in 2019 notwithstanding.

Only twice have KKR prevailed in both their meetings against Mumbai Indians in a season — in 2014 when they won in Abu Dhabi and Cuttack; then in 2022 in Pune and DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai.

Contrasting fortunes for the two sides could be blamed on their opening combination. While KKR’s golden run in this edition has been credited to Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, both the Mumbai Indians openers have struggled to get going in unison.

Ishan Kishan has an average of 22.16 with 32 as his highest in the last seven matches, while Rohit has just 33 from his last five innings after scoring 297 in his first seven.

Not surprisingly, Mumbai Indians have lost as many as 25 wickets in the Powerplay, the highest among all teams. KKR, in contrast, have an average Powerplay score of 68 this season and have lost 16 wickets in this phase.

The Knights’ opening stand contributed just seven when they won at the Wankhede after 12 years in a low-scoring affair. The wicket earmarked for the match on Saturday could favour strokeplay, encouraging the likes of Rohit to be back among runs at his ‘favourite’ venue.

How the KKR batters fare against the Jasprit Bumrah-led attack could also decide the outcome. In a show of class and talent, Bumrah has been an exception in a tournament dominated by the batters. Gerald Coetzee summed it up well. “It comes to simplicity and accuracy and Bumrah has done it better than any other bowler,” the South African fast bowler said.

Varun Chakravarthy admitted it hasn’t been easy for the bowlers. “Initially it was very tough. It (the conditions) took everyone by storm. We have worked on our lines, lengths and on more angles; bowling from different areas of the crease also helped,” said KKR’s most successful bowler.

While individual brilliance is important, team game often determines success. Hardik Pandya’s inability to motivate his resources has been blamed for their failure but one flash of brilliance can still leave KKR short of their magic mark.