Auckland Aces vs Kolkata Knight Riders – Champions League T20 – Match Preview
After a mauling suffered in the first game, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to put their campaign back on track when they take on first timers http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 Aces in the Champions League T20, at Newlands, Cape Town, today, October 15, 2012.
KKR will reflect back on the tactical blunder made by skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419 was their only bowler who was able to extract something from the pitch.
Gambhir’s own technique was found wanting, and the top-order hopped around before eventually crumbling infront of the Daredevils. The left-hander described their capitulation as embarrassing and would love to see his side offer more under all-to-different conditions when compared with their IPL winning campaign earlier in the year, at home.
They will not be making the same decision of batting second, but the change of venue offers them respite. Their top-order will look to bounce back, but a question mark hangs over http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Morkel-c73528.
The combination could further be tinkered with; however, the team lacks pace in their bowling which suggests that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lakshmipathy-Balaji-c72130 will retain his position despite conceding a whopping 61 from his full quota of overs.
The top order will also be given a second chance and therefore, responsibility certainly rests on the shoulders of Gambhir and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129 to deliver the goods.
The Aces however, will be no pushovers following their impressive performance in the qualifying round. They booked their passage to the tournament proper after convincing wins against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hampshire-c789 and will be ready to capitalize on KKR’s weaknesses.
Their new-ball combination of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Azhar-Mahmood-c1116 gives them added edge. His all-round displays will be important for the side as they take on the big boys.
The batting workload will be shared by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lou-Vincent-c73143 at the top, both of whom looked in good knick with the bat. They do not have the star power of their opponents but will offer more as a combined XI. Having already played on the tracks, and prepared well in advance for the tour, confidence in the camp will be high.
This will be the first match on the Newlands track so both sides will have little know-how regarding the nature of the deck. Having said that, teams tend to choose the safer route of putting the opposition into bat and see how the pitch behaves. However, that notion could backfire as KKR found out on Saturday.
Both sides met in the qualifying round last season, with the Knight Riders emerging victorious in a tight match. Neither team however, managed to make the main draw with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 going ahead from the three-team group.
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