Bangalore vs Kolkata player battles: Umesh Yadav eyes positive turn in record against Virat Kohli

Team Bangalore will take on Team Kolkata in Match 6 of Indian T20 League 2022 at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Wednesday, March 30. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Both Bangalore and Kolkata come into the fixture on the back of contrasting starts to the latest campaign.

With new captains at the helm, Bangalore fell to a five-wicket loss against Punjab while Kolkata eased to a six-wicket win over defending champions Chennai.

As far as their head-to-head record is concerned, Kolkata lead the tally with 16 wins in 29 matches. Bangalore, on the other hand, have won 13.

Bangalore vs Kolkata key player battles

Virat Kohli vs Umesh Yadav

Virat Kohli certainly enjoys batting against Umesh Yadav in the Indian T20 League, scoring 141 runs in 11 innings while being dismissed twice. The former Bangalore captain, who got his Indian T20 League 2022 campaign underway with an unbeaten 41 against Punjab, has amassed 779 runs against Kolkata in the past and could add to the count on Wednesday.

However, given Umesh Yadav has the best strike rate in the powerplay phase of the Indian T20 League since 2018 - 17.7 - it will be interesting to see the Indian players resume their player battle as opposing players.

Shreyas Iyer vs Harshal Patel

Shreyas Iyer began his Kolkata tenure on a positive note and will look to continue the momentum in the upcoming fixture against Bangalore. But the one person who stands in his way is Harshal Patel.

The two has crossed paths in as many as three innings in the past, with the new Kolkata captain managing seven runs in nine deliveries against the spinner. This player battle could effectively change the tide of the contest in the middle and death overs.

Ajinkya Rahane vs Karn Sharma

After a disappointing 2021 campaign with Team Delhi, Ajinkya Rahane seems to have found his rhythm with Kolkata. The Mumbai-born batter hit 44 runs on his debut for the two-time champions against Chennai and is now 15 runs away from breaching the 4000-run mark in the Indian T20 League. Although, one person who stands in his way is spinner Karn Sharma.

The pair have met on seven occasions in the competition, with Rahane hitting 52 runs in 44 deliveries. On the other hand, Karn Sharma has dismissed the former Rajasthan captain thrice and thus stands out as the only bowler who could derail Rahane’s performance in the Bangalore vs Kolkata encounter.

Author: William Paul

Featured photo: AFP / Manjunath Kiran