IPL 6: Rajasthan Royals look to break "away" jinix

Date – 9th May 2013

Time – 4.00 p.m (IST)

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI have had good track records at home. Kings XI managed to pull-off a win against the Royal Challengers at Mohali. Rajasthan Royals don’t have power hitters that can blow away Kings XI, but have two quality batsmen at the top, who can change the course of the match. Kings XI have a unique batsman in the middle order in the form of David Miller, who played a phenomenal knock against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rajasthan would look to hold onto the play-off berth, while Kings XI look for a massive win to boost their net run-rate.

Kings XI Punjab are heavily reliant on David Miller to perform. David Hussey hasn’t converted his start into a meaningful innings. But they have a quality batsman at the top of the order in the form of Shaun Marsh. The wicket at Mohali would be ideal for him to play his shots. But they lack quality Indian batsmen in the middle order, which is why they are struggling in this season’s IPL. Rajasthan has been considered to have one-of the weakest attacks and Kings XI Punjab have batsmen who can exploit this weakness of Rajasthan Royals. They have to win all the remaining matches to stay in contention for a spot in the play-off, which is an improbable task.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have performed brilliantly in this season’s IPL. Rahul Dravid has used Shane Watson effectively in stiff run-chases. They have been able to perform only on fast tracks. The wicket at Mohali would be similar to that of Jaipur. Rajasthan Royals would relish batting at this wicket. But they don’t have a promising bowling attack that can knock out their opponents. James Faulkner and Shane Watson have been economical for Rajasthan Royals, but not in the death overs. Dravid doesn’t have enough options for the death overs. He has to rely on young bowlers for that. James Faulkner went for 18 runs in his last over against Delhi Daredevils. Therefore, they will be tested again in Mohali.

Pitch and Conditions

The wicket at Mohali is expected to aid fast bowlers. There is a hint of grass in the wicket. There will be an extra bit of bounce for the fast bowlers. It is expected to get slightly slower as the game progresses. Therefore, pace variations in the later part of the innings could be significant. So, anything over 140-odd runs should be defendable. It will be difficult for Rajasthan to defend anything less than 140 runs if they bat first, as they don’t have quality bowling attack.

Team news

Kings XI Punjab are likely to stick with the winning combination. Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are considering just one change from their emphatic win against Delhi Daredevils. Cooper might replace Shaun Tait as Tait was bit expensive in his spell.

Watch out for:

Kings XI Punjab’s bowling attack: Kings XI Punjab have quality pace-attack. They have got genuine swing bowlers in the form of Praveen Kumar, Azhar Mahmood and Awana. They could keep the Rajasthan batsmen in check. They have been remarkable with the new ball. Rajasthan openers would find it somewhat difficult against Kings XI bowlers. If they strike early with the new-ball, then the Rajasthan batting would certainly be tested.

Rajasthan’s middle order: It will be interesting to see how their middle order responds to the situation. They haven’t performed on a consistent basis. Although they have performed on fast tracks, their batting will be tested against a quality pace-attack.

Prediction

The wicket at Mohali aids fast bowlers and Kings XI have got quality bowlers who can exploit the wicket. Rajasthan Royals have performed extremely well on fast pitches. But they don’t have a quality attack. Kings XI, therefore, should not find any problems against Rajasthan Royals.

Quotes

“The idea was to get myself in, first 10-15 balls and just if it was there go for it. We needed 12 plus an over”. Miller said after his phenomenal knock against RCB.