Jayasuriya and Sehwag in form and on song, Ishant’s sheering pace and Murali’s bamboozling turners. What more a treat a cricket fan can ask for?
People are looking for an exciting end to a not so exciting cricket tournament. Sri Lanka seem to have played a master stroke resting Ajantha Mendis in the Super Four match against India. They will be hoping that he is able to dodge the Indians. But if Ajantha Mendis can bowl six different balls in an over, Virender Sehwag has more than six different shots for each ball.
The Karachi pitch wouldn’t offer much to the pacers and the onus to tilt the balance in the favor of their team will be on the batsmen. Teams would like to go with experience for this crucial match. Sri Lanka would look to play Kulasekara and Fernando along with Murali, Mendis and Vaas. Only other option they may look at is Thushara in place of Fernando or Kulasekara. India would probably opt for the younger among the Pathan brothers, Irfan. They would look to go with six batsmen, then Pathan and then the four bowlers. They are likely to keep out Chawla and play Ojha who has shown better control on line and length.
Indian Premier League Match Preview – Semi final 2
Kings XI Punjab Vs Chennai Super Kings
Semi final 2 is to be played between the teams which stood at the second and third positions in the league.
The Armies – Kings XI Punjab v Chennai Super Kings
Kings XI Punjab with 20 points stood at the top of the league winning 10 of their 14 matches.Delhi Daredevils qualified by grabbing the third. They were victorious in 8 of their 14 matches. They ended on 16 points.
The Battleground – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Wankhede always has purchase for spinners and there was enough encouragement for spinners in the first semi final.
Mother of all clashes, this could well be the dress rehearsal for the finals of the inaugural Indian Premier League and both sides would be looking to score points over the other.
Men at the Helm
Yuvi and Warny both have been inspirational. Yuvi hasn’t performed as well himself but he has a great influence on the younger players. The way he has handled Sreesanth and Chawla and encouraged Marsh and VRV has been phenomenal. Warny has been Midas for the team. Both have handled pressure like only few can in the world.
We have the bat
On paper, Punjab may look a better batting side but apart from Marsh and Sangakkara, others havn’t had many big scores. On other hand for Rajasthan, Smith, Asnodkar, Watson and Pathan have consistently made good scores.
We have the ball
If Punjab have Sreesanth, Pathan and Chawla superb form, Rajasthan have the bowler of the tournament thus far, Sohail Tanveer and the spinner of the tournament, Shane Warne in their ranks. Munaf, Siddharth and Watson too have hit the right line and lengths more often than not. Yusuf Pathan has come in real handy as well.
Patrolling Party
Rajasthan have been very good in the field, while Punjab have had a few poor fielding games. Both will want to eliminate lapses in fielding to give their bowlers an edge over the opponents.
High on betting meter
Rajasthan are slightly high on certain betting meters owing to their better record, while the teams are at level on others.
Who gets the tick?
Rajasthan are on a roll and it will take either an outrageously superb spell of bowling from Sreesanth or Pathan or a lapse on the part of Rajasthan batsmen to make Punjab victorious.
Shaun Marsh continued his batting blitzkrieg with his forth Man of the Match - award in the Indian Premier League, hitting 60 in the Kings XI Punjab’s win over Deccan Chargers.
Marsh scored his fifth half-century in a totoal of eight games with three fours and three sixes before getting caught with a half-hearted hit off Herschelle Gibbs at long-on.
Kings XI Punjab made 4-178 with three balls to spare chasing Deccan’s impressive total of 4-175 at the Punjab’s Mohali ground.
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.
