8 IPL teams and their international equivalents

5. Kolkata Knight Riders – Sri Lanka

Now, you might find this match a little odd as Sri Lanka has struggled across formats in the last few years. However, their performance in most of the ICC tournaments this century has been staggering. Similarly, Kolkata Knight Riders had also done well, barring the last couple of seasons. Hence, the Men in Purple and Gold find their international equivalent in Sri Lanka.

The Lankan Lions was undoubtedly a force to reckon with Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Tillakaratne Dilshan were active cricketers, and Lasith Malinga was at his prime. Under them, Sri Lanka advanced to the finals of 50-over World Cups in 2007 and 2011. They also played three T20 World Cup finals and also won the 2014 edition of the showpiece event.

Speaking of KKR, the side enjoyed its best time under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership. The former Indian batsman led the team in seven seasons and took them to the title in 2012 and 2014. However, KKR hasn’t done well since the last couple of seasons. In fact, they were seventh in the points table when IPL 2021 got suspended.