KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS V KINGS XI PUNJAB- MATCH PREVIEW: BOTH TEAMS LOOKING FOR ADVANTAGE

Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Kings XI Punjab in an important fixture of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Eden Gardens Kolkata.

This is an extremely crucial encounter for both franchises as the Kings XI is at number seven in the points table, whereas the Knight Riders have done reasonably well in the tournament so far and they would like to beat the Kings XI in order to strengthen their position.

Shahrukh Khan’s men have eight points after seven games so far, whereas the Kings XI have six points from five games. There is not much to choose between the two teams but their match could prove to be vital for the future of these two teams in the tournament.

Kolkata failed to make an impression in the previous three editions of the IPL but change of personnel in management and the players have brought good luck for them and they are doing well in the current season under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.

Kolkata seem to have a very nice balance with both bat and ball, as Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Jaidev Unadkat, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and the young left arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah have gelled well, as a bowling unit.

Kallis and Manoj Tiwary have been the pick of the batsmen for the Knight Riders and their management would be hoping that Gambhir and Pathan can showcase their abilities better during the crunch part of the tournament.

Paul Valthaty has so far been the best batsman for the Kings XI and the management of Punjab would be looking at, Adam Gilchrist, and, Shaun Marsh, once again to give them a substantial start and be more consistent at the later stages of the tournament.

The Kings XI have lost many of their key players this season, as the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Bret Lee, Mahela Jayawardene, and, Kumar Sangakkara, have been bought by other franchises.

However, their absence does not seem to have hurt the Kings XI that much, as they have not done that badly in the tournament so far and a win against the Knight Riders could put them in the top four of the points table.

Kings XI have done well in the previous three seasons and there is no reason why they should be disheartened about their chances in the current season. Still there is a lot of cricket to be played in the ongoing season and they can turn the tables by raising their game at the right time. There have been countless instances in the past when teams came from behind and won the tournament.

Although, Kolkata has done better in this season till date and they will start as clear favourites, both teams are evenly matched on paper and the team that will play good cricket on the day will come out victorious. Let’s hope that we as cricket fans are delighted with some magnificent cricket on the weekend

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Chennai Super Kings v Pune Warriors – Match Recap

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) met the Pune Warriors (PW) for the second time in the 31^st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on 27 April, 2011, at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.
CSK ended up thrashing the PW by a huge margin of eight wickets. This match included, CSK have now played six matches and acquired 6 points, winning three of them.
On the other hand, the PW have played five matches and acquired four points, winning two and losing three matches.
After winning the toss, the Pune Warriors opted to bat first. Jesse Ryder and MD Mishra opened for the Warriors but could not provide a stable start. Pune lost both openers at a total of 22 runs in a single over by Doggie Bollinger.
After Ryder and Mishra, neither MK Pandey nor M Manhas could resurrect the innings, the Warriors succumbed to pressure, losing two more wickets and totaling in at 41/4.
As the pressure mounted, skipper Yuvraj Singh and the wicketkeeper batsman RV Uthappa stood tall to face the CSK aggression. The two played tremendously and replied back with a partnership of 42 runs.
Was it not for R Ashwin, CSK might have had a bigger number to go after. Ashwin halted the Pune caravan, scalping the valuable Uthappa (31 off 22).
Yuvraj Singh, playing a captain’s inning, blazed 62 off 43, hitting four sixes and three fours. He remained unbeaten till the very end, leading Pune to post a respectable target of 142.
CSK, in pursuit of a fairly manageable target, started their innings with openers Michael Hussey and M Vijay. Pune got their first breakthrough when Hussey was caught off M Kartik at a total of 19 runs.
S Badrinath was the next man in for the Super Kings. He crushed Pune’s ambitions, striking a 61 run partnership with Vijay. The duo was split later when Vijay was caught by Manhas off Ryder, but the damage had been done.
Suresh Raina took charge after Vijay fell. Suresh and Badrinath kept going strong while the patchy Pune attack failed to penetrate their defenses. The two finished things off in the last over with Badrinath unbeaten on 63 and Raina on 34.
The Chennai Super Kings bagged a decisive victory against the Pune Warriors, successfully chasing the 142 run target with 8 wickets in hand and 3 balls to spare.

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