Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore at Mohali
Professional cricket is here. CEOs being axed, captains getting flack in public from the team owners. Bangalore’s flight still seems to be on the runway only. On the other hand, Preity Zinta has a wide smile on her face. She is ahead of other glmorous promoters like Shahrukh, Mallya, Akshay and Hrithik. Can Mallya’s men get a punch back for him!
Men at the Helm
Yuvraj has been doing a pretty decent job at the helm. The most adorable thing has been the comradery he has been able to establish between the various international stars, Indian internationals and the rest not so well known Indian players. On the other hand, Rahul hasn’t really had a chance to flex his muscles and experiment because the batters have
consistently failed to post decent scores.
We have the bat
Absence of Sangakarra could hurt Kings XI but even in his absence they are a formidable batting unit. Shaun Marsh has run into rich vein of form. Lower down the order, Pathan and Chawla have been more than handy. The Royal Challengers on the other hand have had just odd good innings here and there from Boucher and Dravid. Not much else to speak
of. They dearly want Misbah and White to come good.
We have the ball
This is one area where Royal Challengers score over Kings XI. Punjab too have been bowling well but Bangalore, Rajasthan and Delhi have been the three stand out bowling units in the league so far. Zaheer and Steyn look in the rhythm of their lives. They are pitching yorkers as easily as targeting an elephant. Praveen and Kumble have provided good support. Irfan has bowled extremely well for Punjab and Sreesanth has come good too in the last two games but still apart from Irfan others are vulnerable.
Patrolling Party
Both teams are good fielding sides but the last match between these was a disaster as far as fielding was concerned. They will be out to prove a point this time around.
High on betting meter
Punjab are pretty high on most betting meters with a return of around 60 percent while a bet on Bangalore gives a return of plus 140 percent.
Who gets the tick?
Punjab seem to be overwhelming favourites but this is quite a funny game and this match is also probably the last turn for Bangalore to remain in contention.
Last time these two teams met, it was an absolute run feast. The pitch at Chennai is expected to be even better. Expect some fireworks.
Men at the Helm
Dhoni and Yuvraj have been pretty good at their jobs. Dhoni edged out Yuvraj last time round. Lets see who dodges whom this time.
We have the bat
Both are good batting teams with Punjab having the advantage of batters being in form but injury to Sangakkara comes as a jolt to them. Fleming came good for Chennai in the last match and Morkel seems in thrashing form.
We have the ball
Punjab look a better bowling side but barring Pathan, other bowlers are not that reliable and may yield under pressure. Gony has been bowling well for Chennai. They dearly need Murali to make an impact on the tournament.
Patrolling Party
Both are very good fielding sides. Punjab have a slight edge as Yuvraj and Marsh can pluck catches out of thin air. But then Raina can emulate too..
High on betting meter
Punjab are high on most betting meters courtesy their 5 match winning streak. They fetch a 8 on 13 while Dhoni’s men 6 on 5.
Who gets the tick?
Punjab seem to start the race from a step ahead but we all know what giant leaps the likes of Dhoni and Morkel can make.
Bangalore Royal Challengers: 126 all out (19.2 Ovs)
Kings XI Punjab: 127/4 (18.2 Ovs)
Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wkts
Just another dull and boring Cricket with a one sided game ending in a predictable fashion. One thing which most of us do not realize is the irresponsible batting of the openers - which we saw yesterday as also today. They seemingly fail to realize that much depemds on the opening pair in a 20Twenty Cricket either to maul the bowlers and keep them umder check or to build the foundation for a respectable score.
Hats off to Sreesanth for wonderful swing and the first two wickets. Bangalore never looked comfortable in this entire game and was no match to Yuvraj and team who like Rajasthan Royals have managed to be consistent in the last few matches both in terms of performance and team-work.
Apart from the contrast between the two team owners and their camp there is nothing much worth mentioning in this dull and lack-lusture match maybe except for the vigorous energy of Shaun Marsh who continued his debutant spell with a good piece of batting.
Sreesanth grabbed the man of the match trophy today for his good bowling.
Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab at Bangalore
Kings have won four on the trot while Challengers’ bowlers had a superb outing in their win over Deccan Chargers. It seems to be all set for a mouth watering clash in this Indian Premier League match toady.
Men at the Helm
Yuvraj is very aggressive while Rahul is cool and calm. Yuvraj has shown vulnerability in pressure situations as in the match against Knight Riders when Hussey and Saha had clubbed a few out of the ground while Dravid hasn’t been as innovative as some of the other captains on seen.
We have the bat
Punjab’s batters, the likes of Marsh, Hopes and Yuvraj look better suited for the shortest version of the gentlemen’s game but a slightly dodgy pitch at Chinnaswamy like the other day in the match against Chargers could sway the match in Challengers’ favor with Jaffer, Kallis and Dravid lining up.
We have the ball
Bangalore’s balling unit looks much stronger than Punjab but Kallis has been struggling big time while Pathan has come good for Kings XI. It is also being seen as the battle of the two Indian left armers, Zaheer and Pathan, who are the leading wicket takers in the league as of now. It only lets us keep wondering what if Lee was still here, Lee v Steyn!
Patrolling Party
Fielding throughout the tournament has been of the highest standards. Challengers Kohli, Jaffer and Dravid and Yuvraj and Marsh for Punjab probably make it to the five best catches of the league as yet. What more can one ask for?
High on betting meter
Punjab are high on betting meter with odds of about 4 to 5 on 7 while Bangalore have odds of about 10 to 11 on 8. But it looks like a still tighter fight.
Who gets the tick?
Both pans of the balance hang at similar heights. It will require a very big score from Punjab or a charismatic balling performance from Bangalore to tilt it on one side.
A clinical and perfect win for the Kings XI punjab who seem to have grown up much after the initial loses. This was the debutant match for Shaun Marsh who got going tonight and made sure that there are no hiccups in this run chase. He opened the innings for Kings XI and scored a superb knock of 84 off 62 balls with eleven fours and one six and remaining not out.
Earlier a brilliant knock by Rohit Sharma ( 76 out of 42 balls) saw Deccan Chargers pull up a total of 164 for 8 in 20 overs. He was the lone warrior for the Chargers and single handedly took them to a total which was at least challenging.
But Marsh played a stunner on his debut match and was well supported by Jayawardene, who played a fine cameo. With this win, Punjab are in 4th place in the points table. We have a great match tomorrow between Chennai and Delhi, the two teams who have looked the best in this league so far. So stay tuned to IPL Cricket Forum.
