10 players who were the toughest opponents of their current IPL 2018 teams in the past 

#9 - R Vinay Kumar

R Vinay Kumar after picking up a KKR wicket for MI in the IPL 2017

Vinay Kumar’s IPL journey has been a see-saw one. Yet, when it comes to taking wickets, his prowess hasn’t gone unnoticed. As a result, Kolkata Knight Riders picked him up again at the IPL 2018 auction, four years after he played for them in their IPL winning campaign.

KKR seemed to have thought it out well, since Vinay has been a thorn in their stride as an opponent. Whether it be for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kochi Tuskers Kerala or the Mumbai Indians. His best figures of 3-23 came in RCB colours, when they beat KKR in an IPL 2010 game. In the IPL 2017, Vinay Kumar picked up the crucial wickets of Yusuf Pathan and his now teammate, Chris Lynn that helped MI make it to the playoffs as the No.1 side of the group stages.

Here is a summary of his performances against KKR –

Matches 12, Wickets 19, Average 16.15, Economy rate 7.00

Vinay sits second on the highest all-time wicket-takers list against Kolkata in IPL history, behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar. KKR need him to be at his lethal best in the purple and gold colours this season, if they have any chance of winning the competition.