Kolkata http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kerala-c803, two confident teams collide: IPL News
The 22nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season four will be played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), on Wednesday 20 April. The home advantage will be with KKR, as the match will be played at Eden Gardens,
Kolkata in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
The home team have been unable to do well in the first three editions of the cash-rich tournament. They were led by the former Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly, who was rated as one of the best captains in India. He was not able to guide his team to a better
result though and was sacked from the team this year.
KKR’s leadership responsibilities were handed over to promising Indian batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623. The top-order left-handed batsman has been a terrific find for the team and performed consistently throughout the ICC World Cup 2011 for his team, which won the
tournament. However, leading a side is a different situation altogether, as it brings added pressure on the player.
On the other hand, KTK are led by Sri Lankan star Mahela Jayawardene. He had a disappointing start to the season, as his team lost the opening two matches. They had to play two strong sides; Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians (MI), next and things
looked grim for them.
However, Jayawardene and his men turned the tables on their opponents, winning the next two games. This has given a big boost to their confidence, but they will be up against a very upbeat team.
KKR is one of the most balanced teams in the tournament, as they have a mix of good batsmen, bowlers and all-round cricketers. They have a lot of options in batting with star players, Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Brad Haddin, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib-Al-Hasan,
Ryan ten Doeschate and the captain himself.
Bowling is led by pace-ace Brett Lee, whereas he has a lot of support from spinners Shakib, Iqbal Abdullah and Pathan.
The visitors also have a very well balanced squad and they can beat any team on a given day. Jayawardene decided to open the innings after failing to perform in the first two games and the gamble paid off. The KTK captain opens the innings alongside destructive
Kiwi batsman, Brendon McCullum, and the pair can take the game away from the opposition easily.
These two are followed by local boys http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ravindra-c84236 Jadeja. Both the left-handed batsmen have the ability to pace their innings according to the situation. They can both rotate the strike and play big shots when required.
Former Australian player, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brad-Hodge-c1184, strengthens the middle-order and his batting skills are not hidden from anyone. He has the ability to score more than ten runs per over in the death-like situations and can also steady the innings, if a couple of wickets
fall early.
However, bowling has been a bit of a concern for KTK. They do have some very talented bowlers like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Muttiah-Muralitharan-c78157, Sreesanth and RP Singh but they haven’t been consistent in the tournament until now.
If the visitors manage to bowl well against KKR, it will be difficult to stop them from winning.
Tags: