Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals at Kolkata
Rajasthan would like to win this match to statistically confirm a place in the semi finals while for Kolkata, it is a do or die match.
Men at the Helm
Both Warne and Ganguly have been inspirational for their sides but Ganguly is still to fully come to terms with the nuances of the youngest baby of the sport. The last match between these two left a sour after taste. It would be interesting to see what they come up with, this time.
We have the bat
Apart from Smith and Ganguly there are no huge stars in any of the teams but certainly there are a few in line to become stars. Watch out for Asnodkar, Watson and Pathan from Royals and Hussey, Butt and Debabrata Das from Knight Riders.
We have the ball
These two sides have bowled the best in the tournament. Kolkata are a much starry bowling line up with Ishant and Shoaib in the ranks. But Rajasthan pacers have bowled with immaculate line and length while Shane Warne has added the flair. Shoaib sustained an injury in the last match and Kolkata would dearly like him to be fit in time for this one.
Patrolling Party
Rajasthan have fielded very well in the tournament. Kolkata on the other hand have been patchy, being brilliant at times and sloppy at others.
High on betting meter
Rajasthan are high on betting meter with returns around 70 percent while Kolkata give returns of over 100 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Knight Riders have been riding on some individual performances. They don’t look a solid unit. Royals are on a roll at the moment andKolkata will have to dish out something spectacular to pull off this one.
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
There will be long debates across the coffee houses in Kolkata and the Barista’s in Mumbai on whether it was great bowling, or over confidence or a bad pitch which led to the miserable defeat of Knight Riders with the lowest total ever scored in 20Twenty Cricket. And this comes after a dream run of three straight wins.
This is not only the quickest win in this IPL. To make things even better for the Mumbai Indians, this is also a World Record for the fastest Twenty20 win ever!
Mumbai climb up to the 4th spot in the points table now, they topple Kolkata and leave behind Delhi too with one game less and better net run-rate!
This is Mumbai’s fifth straight win in this tournament, they equal with Kolkata and Delhi in the points table now but occupies the forth position due to their run-rate. While Kolkata gets displaced to the 6th position just ahead of Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Inspite of Sachin getting out for zero, Jayasuriya continued his flamboyance from where he left in the last match. Earlier Shaun Pollock plucked the vital wickets of David Hussey, Hafeez and Salman Butt and the Knight Riders managed a total of just 67 losing all their wickets. Mumbai Indians - the ‘men in blue’ met the target in just 5.3 overs won by 8 wickets with Shaun grabbing the Man of the Match.
Both the teams are on a high at the moment and would like to keep the momentum going. Kolkata would like to win to plant their foot firmly for top four while Mumbai would like to enter into contention big time.
Men at the Helm
Ganguly has been a total inspiration in the last few matches while Sachin’s first game was a cake walk. It would be exciting to see the two maestros planning in opposite directions.
We have the bat
Mumbai have slight edge in batting because they have more batsmen in form. Their batting has got a big boost with Tendulkar returning. Kolkata need Ganguly or Hussey to lay a long innings.
We have the ball
Kolkata have the slightest of edges in this department owing to the greater star power in the line up. Otherwise bowlers on both sides have been quite impressive.
Patrolling Party
Kolkata weren’t considered much of a fielding unit but they have been simply suerb in last few matches. Mumbai too have fielded pretty well up till now.
High on betting meter
Mumbai are sitting pretty and high on the betting meter courtesy Pollock, Jayasuriya, Uthappa and the return of Tendulkar. Mumbai give 8 on 13 while Kolkata a 6 on 5.
Who gets the tick?
Mumbai have had too many things in their minds on and off the field. With the return of Sachin, its this teams turn to strike gold.
This match is the turning point for IPL and here is one performance by both teams where batsman and bowlers equally flourished - earlier we saw a good batting side and opening strikes really made a winning difference - but in this match the score and the total was virtually immaterial. Bowlers can make a big difference in a 20Twenty match - provided they are utilised appropiately and strategically.
Also, hats off to Ganguly for pulling off another stunner and to SRK for providing the needed boost to the team.
As we have mentioned earlier, every match from now on will require strategy and planning apart from skill and power. And once again the two shrewd planners - Shane and Ganguly are proving us correct. Also the fact that Shoiab Akhter is more of a test player than a 20Twenty guy but he was successful with 4 wickets in a row and that too plucking of the best batsmen and rendering the opponents powerless.
Also, Delhi middle order require serious attention and maybe a re-shuffle as this team has all the fire power but fails to deliver against pressure.
Rajasthan would like to win this match to statistically confirm a place in the semi finals while for Kolkata, it is a do or die match.