Both the teams started very badly but Mumbai have picked up since then while Deccan have slumped further and further. Deccan will be out to prove that they are a much better team then what the points table says.
Men at the Helm
Gilchrist has been leading the side pretty well but the batters have disappointed. We haven’t seen much of Sachin as yet but he seems to have adapted pretty well and is likely to be hugely assisted by the presence of Pollock and Jayasuriya around.
We have the bat
Deccan have Gilchrist and Gibbs to match for Jayasuriya and Tendulkar in Mumbai but Gibbs hasn’t been firing and Gilchrist also hasn’t done well often enough. Deccan will need one of Gilchrist, Gibbs and Rohit and Mumbai will need one of Jayasuriya, Tendulkar and Uthappa to play an extraordinary innings to the teams nose ahead.
We have the ball
Mumbai are a very good bowling unit. Pollock, Nehra and Kulkarni have bowled pretty well. For Deccan RP Singh has bowled well only in patches. Styris and Ojha too haven’t been consistent. But young lad Vijay Kumar has been quite encouraging.
Patrolling Party
Mumbai have continuously improved their fielding as the tournament has progressed while Deccan have been very disappointing. They dearly need to aid their bowlers.
High on betting meter
Mumbai are High on betting meter with returns of around 60 percent while Deccan give returns of around 125 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Mumbai is the team that seems to be peaking at the right moment in the league. They would like to clinch this one to firmly march towards a semi final berth. Deccan on the other hand are a very good side and can’t keep loosing for long. They are surely going to spoil the party of one of the four teams besides Rajasthan and Punjab in contention for semi finals.
Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings at Kolkata
Both the teams have had similar runs in the tournament. They won on trot, then lost continuously, then won, then lost. Both have had a few very high scores and very low scores. Both have had tight finishes and both have lost badly at some point.
Men at the Helm
Ganguly and Dhoni both are exceptional leaders. Both are very aggressive. While Ganguly is vocal, Dhoni is a silent operator. Both can assess the situation at a quick pace and find a way out more often than not. It would be an extremely gripping clash.
We have the bat
Both teams have similar sort of line ups where they heavily depend on a couple of players. If Knight Riders’ batting has been weakened by the departure of Ponting and Mc Cullum, Super Kings have been hit badly with Hayden, Hussey and Oram leaving.
We have the ball
Kolkata have an edge in this department with Ishant, Shoaib and Dinda bowling really well. Chennai badly need Murali to come to the party. The opponents have tried to negotiate him with safety. In the process, he has been economical but hasn’t picked up wickets. They need Ntini to fire as well getting into the business zone of the league.
Patrolling Party
Chennai are a better over all fielding side but Kolkata in the last few matches have shown tremendous commitment and zeal. Murali has been inspiring in the field. Who says it’s a youngsters’ game?
High on betting meter
On most betting meters they are placed at the same level. Kolkata are marginally lower on a few owing to their vulnerable batting.
Who gets the tick?
This match has the makings of an intriguing battle. Its almost impossible to choose a winner but Kolkata have a slight edge owing to their bowling strength. Chennai need Raina, Dhoni and Murali to come good
We all have been waiting for such a thing to happen and at last somebody has given a heed to the hard work the poor bowlers put in. It will be the first time we will see a player wearing a purple coloured IPL cap on the field. Yes, the IPL has announced a running purple cap for the highest wicket taker at any particular time in the league. Irfan Pathan is going to be the first proud holder of this cap. Although Irfan, Sreesanth and Zaheer all have an equal 13 wickets in their kitties but Irfan owing to the best average will get the cap.
Besides these three, the other bowlers nearing contention are Watson and RP Singh with 12 wickets a piece and leggies Warne and Chawla and rookie pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Manpreet Gony having 11 each. Its very heartening to see 8 Indians in the 10 top wicket takers in the league thus far. Their are more foreign batmen than bowlers in the league but there are many prominent international names like Mc Grath, Asif, Vaas, Tanvir, Pollock, Steyn and Muralidharan but only Warne and Watson are in the top 10 as of now.
Last time these two teams met the match went to on till the last over. Sehwag and Gambhir had failed then. If any of these fires this time and add to that the exploits of Marsh and Pomersbach, we could have a run feast on menu.
Men at the Helm
Viru and Yuvi both are aggressive and pro active. Both like to catch competition by the throat and have an unabandoned approach. It has all the makings of a fiercely aggressive and competitive battle.
We have the bat
If Delhi depend heavily on Sehwag, Gambhir and Dhawan, Punjab do on Marsh, Yuvraj and Mahela. Both the teams need other men to come to party running into closing stages of the league round.
We have the ball
Both the teams have very good bowling line ups. Delhi have a slight edge having Mc Grath, Asif and Maharoof because, although Punjab bowlers are in pretty good form but Sreesanth and Piyush can be vulnerable.
Patrolling Party
Both are superb fielding sides. Probably the two best on show in the league. Watch out for some scintillating stuff as Marsh, Yuvi, Hopes, De Villiers, Dilshan and Dhawan take the field.
High on betting meter
Both teams stand at same levels on most betting meters with returns of 90 percent and shade under.
Who gets the tick?
Both teams have good bowling line ups and thus the result is likely to be decided by the batting. It will need an extraordinary innings from a batsman to turn the tide in his team’s favour.
Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Jaipur
It might look as if its going to be a one sided affair with the team at the top taking on the lowest placed team but this has just the potential to turn on its head.
Men at the Helm
Shane Warne has been by far the best captain on show in the IPL but he has been hugely aided by some superb bowling from his bowlers. Rahul looks out of sorts which has a lot to do with the continual failure of the batsmen.
We have the bat
Rajasthan look a stronger T20 batting line up with hitters like Watson, Pathan, Smith and Jadeja in the team. Bangalore although have pretty renowned batsmen in their ranks but they have failed to fire. A greenish pitch at Chogan stadium could favour the visitors. Its high time that White and Misbah fire for Bangalore.
We have the ball
Both teams have had very good tournament bowling wise. Rajasthan bowlers aided by some very good fielding have had a bit more success. Bangalore bowling with Zaheer, Steyn and Kumble looks like and all terrain attack and has a slight edge over Rajasthan.
Patrolling Party
If Royals have Kaif, Yusuf and Watson, Royal Challengers have Kohli, White and Steyn. But Royals look marginally higher because of their all round fielding abilities.
High on betting meter
Rajasthan has are far, up and high on the betting meter with returns slightly higher than 50 percent while Bangalore give a little more than 125 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Bangalore have had to face a lot of flack and must be raring to go while Rajasthan would like to seal a semi final berth here itself. It just has the potential to go other way too..
