IPL 2021: 3 members of the current KKR squad who tasted success with MI in the past

Mumbai Indians (MI) edged out Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a narrow margin of 10 runs on April 13.

Including Tuesday's contest, MI and KKR have played against each other in 28 IPL games. Mumbai has triumphed 22 times with Kolkata winning the remaining 6. More specifically, in the last 13 encounters between the two teams, the defending champions have won 12 times.

It is safe to say that MI has dominated KKR in IPL cricket.

With most players having represented multiple franchises during their IPL tenure, there are a few cricketers in the current KKR squad who have played for MI in the past. Here is a look at 3 such players currently representing Kolkata, who have formerly been successful with Mumbai.

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1. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik represented MI in 2012 and 2013 IPL

Dinesh Karthik has played for 6 franchises in IPL cricket. The wicket-keeper batsman, a vital cog in the KKR team, represented MI in 2012 and 2013.

Karthik tasted considerable success for MI, especially in IPL 2013 where they won the title. He scored 510 runs that season in 19 innings at a strike rate of 124.09. He also scored 2 half-centuries and was the second-highest run-scorer that year.

Overall, he represented MI in 33 IPL matches across the two seasons.

He parted ways with the Mumbai franchise in 2014 and has been a part of the KKR team since 2018.

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2. Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana played for MI in IPL 2016 and 2017

Nitish Rana set IPL 2021 alight with a match-winning innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-handed batsman followed it up with another impressive half-century against the Mumbai Indians.

Rana has been an integral part of the KKR top-order since 2018.

He began his IPL career with MI in 2016. Playing only 3 innings that season, he created an immediate impact by scoring 104 runs at an average of 34.67.

IPL 2017 saw Rana grow and mature as a batsman. In 12 innings, he scored 333 runs at an average of 30.27 with 3 half-centuries. He was one of the players who contributed to the success of the MI team that season.

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3. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh played for Mumbai from 2008 to 2017 winning the IPL three times - in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

In 136 IPL matches for MI, he picked up 127 wickets enroute to many victories. He also captained Mumbai on 20 occasions and won 10 of those matches. He was an indispensable part of the MI outfit for 10 years before he was released by them in IPL 2018.

Harbhajan represents KKR in IPL 2021 and has opened their bowling in both the matches they have played so far.