Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav: 2 contrasting tales for KKR's veterans

When the names of Umesh Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane popped up during the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year, there wasn't much excitement in the auction room and IPL teams weren't in a hurry to pick up the two out-of-favour Indian veterans.

Umesh Yadav was only sold when his name came up for the third time in the accelerated portion of the auction, when KKR saw fit to purchase him at his base price of ₹2 crores. Unlike Umesh, Ajinkya Rahane was sold at the first time of asking, when KKR once again had no competitors for the signature of the Mumbai batsman.

While expectations were minimal for both players, one has defied the odds and performed exceptionally well while the other has continued his poor run of form.

Ajinkya Rahane has scored just 80 runs in the five matches that he has played in IPL 2022, averaging a mere 16 and with a highest score of 44. The 33-year old was recently dropped from India's Test team for the series against Sri Lanka, interstingly in favor of his KKR captain Shreyas Iyer.

But with the struggles in Test cricket behind him and with a change in format and dressing room, Rahane was expected to flourish for KKR. On paper, it was a good call by the management to introduce an experienced head like Rahane into the KKR set-up, someone who would bring calm and composure to a batting line-up that was filled with explosive hitters.

He had a great chance of opening the innings and setting up the game for KKR but has flattered to deceive. He made a good start to the campaign with an assured 44 (34) against CSK, where he performed the role of anchor to perfection. Since then, scores of nine, 12, seven, and eight have followed, which has put his place in the side under threat.

Teams have targeted him with the short ball with three of his five dismissals coming in that form. He has also been a slow starter this season as he has been striking at under 100 in his first 10 balls in all games so far. This has forced him to take unnecessary risks, which have ultimately led to his downfall.

Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra said that Rahane has failed to take his chances at the top of the order for KKR.

“Ideally not, because what is the relation between IPL and Test cricket? But that’s practically what happens (getting a Test call-up based on IPL performance). But Ajinkya hasn’t really capitalized yet. He has not been able to grab the opportunities. If he wants to make a Test comeback based on T20s, then he has to score a minimum of 600-700 runs.”

Umesh Yadav, meanwhile, has been a revelation this season for KKR with his pace and swing upfront in the powerplay. He has taken 10 wickets so far with an average of 13.2 at an impressive economy of 6.6.

Umesh Yadav has been a revelation for KKR

While not the best of bowlers at the death, Umesh Yadav has trusted his strength in swinging the new ball. All teams have found a surprisingly large amount of swing early on and Umesh has used his outswinger to good effect, while his ability to extract extra bounce from the surface has also been impressive.

The dismissals of Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad in earlier games are a case in point where he sucked the batsmen into edging his away swinger. He has also bowled the most number of dot balls so far in IPL 2022 with 42.

He has developed a penchant for dismissing the opposition's best batter early on, sending back the likes of Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rohit Sharma. When asked to bowl in the middle overs against PBKS, he delivered for KKR once again with a double-wicket maiden.

KKR Head Coach Brendon McCullum heaped praise on the fast bowler, saying that Umesh has played his role in the team to perfection.

"His brief is very much to try and take wickets for us. If he goes for a few runs, we don’t care, we just want to have the attacking mentality. I know he is closer to the end of his career. But he is still incredibly fit, very very driven and we see him as a huge asset for us, especially in the early stages of the tournament when the ball is still swinging and seaming,” McCullum added.

The only blot in his performance so far came against DC when he was asked to bowl at the death and conceded 23 runs in his last over. Tougher challenges await the 34-year old as the pitches start to slow down and the early swing starts to disappear.

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