CLT20 2011 Qualifier: Kolkata Knight Riders v Auckland Aces – Match Preview
King Khan’s Knight Riders are all set to play Auckland Aces of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in their opening match of the Champions League T20 qualifier on Monday, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
After a relatively unimpressive show in their domestic league, the lucrative Indian Premier League, the Kolkata side must be eager to prove their T20 prowess when they take the Auckland side in their tournament opener today.
The home side faced a huge setback in the form of regular captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 last month, while attempting a catch. In the form of Gambhir, the KKR not only
lost a skipper but also an experienced, hard hitting top-order batsman.
To add to the problems of KKR, the stylish http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 has been given the responsibility
of leading the side.
Since the match is featuring an Indian side as well, so it holds more significance when it comes to the local interest and is anticipated to attract a healthy turnout.
On paper, the Knight Riders seem to be much stronger than the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/YK-Pathan-c2815 and fast bowler
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lakshmipathy-Balaji-c72130 make the Kolkata outfit even stronger.
The Kiwis also boast some International flavour in their camp in the form of skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Guptill-c1980. Most of the players in the remaining squad do not have an idea of playing in the subcontinent
conditions. The Auckland coach, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Paul-Andrew-Strang-c80999 has his hopes attached with the experienced players.
"Nothing actually beats playing in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. For some young players, it can be a great experience, [maybe even] a frightening one. The experienced players will help them," said Strang.
The weather forecast for Monday suggests isolated thunderstorms in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hyderabad-c792.
Auckland: (probable) 1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bruce-Edward-Martin-c48703,
11 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CS-Martin-c1295.
Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Jacques Kallis (capt), 2 Manvinder Bisla (wk), 3 Manoj Tiwary, 4 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jaidev-Unadkat-c1626.
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