IPL 5 – Kolkata Knight Riders favourites to clinch the title – Play-offs Preview – Part Two
Continued from the previous part...
Taking into account the nature of T20 cricket, any one of these four teams can clinch the title but KKR seems to be the favourite to win IPL 5. Most of the franchises this year have relied on individual brilliances but the same is not the case with Kolkata.
KKR’s skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447, has scored 556 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.71 runs per innings. The left-handed opener has been absolutely brilliant in the tournament and has truly led his team from the front.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869, the 23-year-old off-spinner from Trinidad & Tobago can be rated as the find of the tournament and has emerged as a star in the league. He has bamboozled some of the best players of the world because of his ability to spin the ball both ways with pace variations.
Narine has 22 scalps in the tournament so far but his economy rate is something which makes him the most effective bowler of IPL 5. Conceding less than six runs an over on average is something quite extra-ordinary in the T20 version of the sport and cricket pundits are amazed that the youngster has achieved this in his very first season of the tournament.
Although, Gambhir and Narine have performed out of their skins in the tournament, KKR has done so well in the on-going season because of the overall team combination.
There are some big names in the squad like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419 but they have been off-colour in the league. However, the international and local players have gelled well as a unit and have not succumbed in crunch situations, which is the key behind KKR’s success.
Kolkata has never been a major force to reckon with in the previous editions of the tournament but the inspirational leadership of Gambhir has changed the fortunes of the franchise.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shakib-Al-Hasan-c2492 is considered to be one of the world’s premier all-rounders in limited-overs cricket and is expected to play a part in the play-offs because of the slow and low pitches of Pune and Chennai, where KKR will play.
One of the best brains in the cricketing world, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779, also stated during the tournament that Gambhir and company are favourites to lift the trophy this year. The left-handed batsman, who led Deccan Chargers in IPL 5, believes that Kolkata had limited resources but Gambhir and the team management has taken the best out of their players.
“On form, I would say Kolkata Knight Riders. They have been playing exceptionally well. I think you have to give credit to the way Gautam [Gambhir] has managed to get those guys to gel together. They have some top quality in that side,” he expressed.
Sangakkara admitted that Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have big names in their ranks as well and they also have a good combination going but the top-order batsman maintains that KKR stands out.
The former Sri Lankan captain added, “The most balanced sides in this tournament appeared to be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 and Chennai. Unfortunately, Chennai has had a kind of an up-and-down season. Royal Challengers [Bangalore] have an incredible side as well. I think the most important thing when you look at all these sides is the quality of the local Indian players.”
Let us keep our fingers crossed and see how all the four teams shape up in the closing stages of the tournament. However, one thing is for sure that the fans will see cricket of the highest quality.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: