Kolkata: Keen to put the Sunil Narine controversy behind them, Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their title defence against a formidable Mumbai Indians side in the Indian Premier League opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata tomorrow.
The West Indies mystery spinner, who was reported for suspect action in CLT20 and went on to miss the recently-concluded World Cup, was kept waiting before getting a clean chit by the BCCI on Sunday.
A team which has gone on to win two titles (2012 and 2014) since the acquisition of the Trinidad off-spinner in 2011 faces the biggest challenge this year as Narine’s effectiveness with a re-modelled action is yet to be seen.
With a slew of spinners in their armoury now including a ‘Narine-like’ K.C. Cariappa, a rookie from Karnataka who was bought for Rs24 million (Dh1.41 million), and a couple of chinaman bowlers, KKR will look to thrive on the slow nature of Eden surface.
“He’s [Narine] is an integral part of KKR, he will always be an integral part... Even if he bowls a straight ball, he will be an asset for us and will always remain an asset. That’s the confidence we have on Sunil [Narine]. We never thought that we needed a back-up spinner for him,” KKR captain Gambhir said when asked whether they strengthened their spin line-up in the auction with suspense prevailing over the Trinidad offspinner.
“There can never be a back-up for Sunil. I always maintain even if he bowls a straight bowl it will be an advantage.
Asked about breaking the bank for Cariappa during IPL auction this year, Gambhir said: “The strategy to pick little known players like K.C. Cariappa and Kuldeep Yadav was to groom them alongside senior pros like Narine, Brad Hogg.
“They were never for back-up. Yes, we want different spinners, and we have based our entire team on that because, if you see, most of the wickets in India turn and start gripping especially in the later half of the tournament. That’s the strategy.
“At the same time it would be nice to have spinners who can always complement Sunil. Someone like Cariappa, Suryakumar Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav, to have Sunil and Brad Hogg around them, will always help. It will help develop Indian cricket.
But with evening showers predicted in the city, the spinners may find it hard to grip the white ball and the fielders will also have to be careful not to pick up injuries.
On the field, both the sides are matched equally on paper but, with little baggage of the past, and some hard-hitting players in Corey Anderson, Kieron Pollard and new signing Aaron Finch, Mumbai Indians may hold an edge.
In the Mumbai team, Kolkata will face an opposition who tasted their maiden IPL win at this very ground in 2013, when the Rohit Sharma-led side beat Chennai Super Kings.
But their title defence went horribly wrong in 2014 when they suffered five consecutive defeats before managing to make the last four after a dramatic win over Rajasthan Royals only to be beaten by Chennai Super Kings in the eliminator to finish fourth.
The chief architect of the win against Rajasthan Royals, Anderson, who smashed an unbeaten 95 from 44 balls, will once again play a crucial role along with this year’s star acquisition in Australian opener Finch.
The Knight Riders batting is equally strong and tested with last year’s top run-getter (Orange Cap winner) Robin Uthappa (660 runs) leading the pack.