With
new combinations on their hands and very little time for players to get
to know one another, the most pressing problem before the teams in IPL 4 has to do with the coming together.
With key players still carrying a hangover from their previous franchises, with team ethos and internal communication still evolving, managements are out to find the fastest way to have their teams 'gel'. Of course, they all know there is no better binder in such situations than early success.
The two teams that clash under the glare of the Eden Gardens lights on Monday are still looking for that quick-fix, defeats in their respective openers denying them the benefit of a headstart. While Deccan Chargers, having failed to put enough on the board against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, will be desperate to get things moving, the Kolkata Knight Riders face a far more challenging task on the mental front.
A KKR team without Sourav Ganguly is always up for questions by his legion of die-hards, and the scrutiny is never more intense than it is in the cauldron called Eden. Coming into the cacophony of the most opinionated fans in the country on the heels of defeat can be a nerve-wracking experience. Fear of failure is a demon the home team will have to slay early.
Ironically, the man best equipped to do that is the one Ganguly fans would want to watch most closely to find faults.
Gautam Gambhir did his 'bold and dutiful' image no good on Friday night by choosing to stay in the dugout and delay his entry into the battlefield. The events leading to the two-run defeat will surely have convinced him that he needs to bat at one of the top three positions.
While Gambhir's error in judgement can be corrected with a little tweak, and the Knights have real match-winners in their skipper and players like Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan, Bengal's backyard boys must put up their hands to be counted. Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla have been around long enough to take up the responsibility of finishing innings.
Both are extremely talented with their games suiting the format but have floundered whenever gumption was called upon. So often, top-flight cricket is only about bringing out a suitable response to the ever-changing situations during a game.
Starting with slow bowlers, as both teams did in their respective openers, has really caught on but the Chargers are one team that can ignore that option though it has quality spinners in Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra. When you have the likes of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma at their fiery best why would you want to waste the new ball on someone else? But, then, when 'surprise' is a password, you are never too far away from anything and Kumar Sangakkara did suggest he's toying with some spin to the tale.
While the fight between KKR's top-order and the searing pace of Steyn and former KKR pacer Sharma could well have a telling effect on the outcome of the contest, Chargers are among the few teams that have five specialist bowlers in operation and the pressure on the KKR batsmen will last right through the 20 overs. But, then, T20 is about the impact players with a match turning on its head in a matter of few deliveries. It is in this light that KKR would want to see the likes of Gambhir, Yusuf and Kallis.
Chargers will bank on skipper Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy to hold up a batting line-up that looks a trifle thin. Their impressive bowling unit needs to ensure opponents don't run away to big totals.
Both teams need a start and their personnel, wiser after defeats, will be hoping to get things right this time but two men on either side of the divide can make the biggest impact. IPL 4 is full of skippers who can lead from the front, and Gambhir and Sangakkara are fine examples of that. It's time for both to justify that billing.
KEY CLASHES
Kumar Sangakkara vs Laxmipathi Balaji
Team India discard Balaji has had to prove time and again that he's not a spent force, and he did so effectively in the opener against his old team Super Kings. Sangakkara will be kicking himself for not being able to lead by example against Rajasthan Royals. But, then, there will be comfort in the knowledge that 'form is temporary, class is permanent'. As the Sri Lankan skipper sets about making amends, Balaji, armed with the one that leaves the left-hander , will surely see his chance.
Jacques Kallis vs Dale Steyn
When friends turn foes, there is always that little extra. And it's not just the South African connection we are talking about in this case. Both who were members of RCB till the last season, are a class act and are in good form. KKR's Kallis brought that easy fluency to the middle in the opener at Chennai on Friday and Steyn has been at his fiery best in recent times making light of the even slower surfaces. Genuine allrounder Kallis, of course, has the advantage of returning the compliments should Steyn dig a few short ones for him.
Yusuf Pathan vs Pragyan Ojha
Both have had disappointing starts and will be forward to make amends. While Yusuf has a penchant for the big hits, Ojha is a wily one. His flowing action nicely conceals the little variations that have foxed the best. For good measure, there will be Kumar Sangakkara waiting with the big gloves, putting that question into the batsman's mind: Will it be safe to step out? But, then, when has the Bomber from Baroda put mind before what really matters – to see that ball soaring into the night sky.
With key players still carrying a hangover from their previous franchises, with team ethos and internal communication still evolving, managements are out to find the fastest way to have their teams 'gel'. Of course, they all know there is no better binder in such situations than early success.
The two teams that clash under the glare of the Eden Gardens lights on Monday are still looking for that quick-fix, defeats in their respective openers denying them the benefit of a headstart. While Deccan Chargers, having failed to put enough on the board against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, will be desperate to get things moving, the Kolkata Knight Riders face a far more challenging task on the mental front.
A KKR team without Sourav Ganguly is always up for questions by his legion of die-hards, and the scrutiny is never more intense than it is in the cauldron called Eden. Coming into the cacophony of the most opinionated fans in the country on the heels of defeat can be a nerve-wracking experience. Fear of failure is a demon the home team will have to slay early.
Ironically, the man best equipped to do that is the one Ganguly fans would want to watch most closely to find faults.
Gautam Gambhir did his 'bold and dutiful' image no good on Friday night by choosing to stay in the dugout and delay his entry into the battlefield. The events leading to the two-run defeat will surely have convinced him that he needs to bat at one of the top three positions.
While Gambhir's error in judgement can be corrected with a little tweak, and the Knights have real match-winners in their skipper and players like Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan, Bengal's backyard boys must put up their hands to be counted. Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla have been around long enough to take up the responsibility of finishing innings.
Both are extremely talented with their games suiting the format but have floundered whenever gumption was called upon. So often, top-flight cricket is only about bringing out a suitable response to the ever-changing situations during a game.
Starting with slow bowlers, as both teams did in their respective openers, has really caught on but the Chargers are one team that can ignore that option though it has quality spinners in Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra. When you have the likes of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma at their fiery best why would you want to waste the new ball on someone else? But, then, when 'surprise' is a password, you are never too far away from anything and Kumar Sangakkara did suggest he's toying with some spin to the tale.
While the fight between KKR's top-order and the searing pace of Steyn and former KKR pacer Sharma could well have a telling effect on the outcome of the contest, Chargers are among the few teams that have five specialist bowlers in operation and the pressure on the KKR batsmen will last right through the 20 overs. But, then, T20 is about the impact players with a match turning on its head in a matter of few deliveries. It is in this light that KKR would want to see the likes of Gambhir, Yusuf and Kallis.
Chargers will bank on skipper Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy to hold up a batting line-up that looks a trifle thin. Their impressive bowling unit needs to ensure opponents don't run away to big totals.
Both teams need a start and their personnel, wiser after defeats, will be hoping to get things right this time but two men on either side of the divide can make the biggest impact. IPL 4 is full of skippers who can lead from the front, and Gambhir and Sangakkara are fine examples of that. It's time for both to justify that billing.
KEY CLASHES
Kumar Sangakkara vs Laxmipathi Balaji
Team India discard Balaji has had to prove time and again that he's not a spent force, and he did so effectively in the opener against his old team Super Kings. Sangakkara will be kicking himself for not being able to lead by example against Rajasthan Royals. But, then, there will be comfort in the knowledge that 'form is temporary, class is permanent'. As the Sri Lankan skipper sets about making amends, Balaji, armed with the one that leaves the left-hander , will surely see his chance.
Jacques Kallis vs Dale Steyn
When friends turn foes, there is always that little extra. And it's not just the South African connection we are talking about in this case. Both who were members of RCB till the last season, are a class act and are in good form. KKR's Kallis brought that easy fluency to the middle in the opener at Chennai on Friday and Steyn has been at his fiery best in recent times making light of the even slower surfaces. Genuine allrounder Kallis, of course, has the advantage of returning the compliments should Steyn dig a few short ones for him.
Yusuf Pathan vs Pragyan Ojha
Both have had disappointing starts and will be forward to make amends. While Yusuf has a penchant for the big hits, Ojha is a wily one. His flowing action nicely conceals the little variations that have foxed the best. For good measure, there will be Kumar Sangakkara waiting with the big gloves, putting that question into the batsman's mind: Will it be safe to step out? But, then, when has the Bomber from Baroda put mind before what really matters – to see that ball soaring into the night sky.
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