Knights up against the Daredevils - Preview
After a grand opening ceremony on the 3rd of April, the fifth season of the glamorous Indian Premier League kicked off on a fine note yesterday where Mumbai Indians recorded a thumping victory over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a pretty one-sided match.
Moving onto the second match, Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, will take on the Delhi Daredevils tonight. The KKR squad has big names like Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Shakib-al-Hasan and are considered among the favorites this season. Having a calm skipper in Gautam Gambhir, they will start as the firm favorites against the depleted Delhi outfit, which has some big names of its own like David Warner, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen, but unfortunately for them those players are not available yet due to either national commitments or injury. So Delhi don’t have a single impact player other than their captain Virender Sehwag heading into today’s game.
The weather has not been kind the last couple of days with a heavy thunderstorm blowing over the city yesterday in the evening. Both the teams, along with the spectators, will be hoping that the weather stays fine before and during the match.
Head to head
KKR and DD have met seven times previously with each team winning thrice and one match abandoned. Last year, KKR played DD only once where the limelight was stolen by Manoj Tiwary who guided the Knights to a 17-run win with his 61 off 47 balls.
Players to look out for
Kolkata :
Gautam Gambhir – Doubling up as skipper and opener, Gambhir has turned the Knights’ fortunes for the better. He is in fine form, as was evident from the one-off T20 against South Africa, and will be the main man who can guide the KKR innings to a respectable total.
Jacques Kallis – He had a great time with the bat in the T20 International against India and will look forward to carry on the good form. His experience will come in handy for the Knights and he is someone who can make a slow start and call on the shots later on. His partnership-building ability will be crucial.
Brendon McCullum – He is back to SRK’s team after a stint with the Kochi Tuskers. He is the most dangerous batsman in the KKR colors along with Yusuf Pathan. The Kolkatans still remember his century in the very first match of the IPL which made him a crowd puller. KKR will surely not mind another great start from him in gold and purple.
Delhi :
Virender Sehwag – The main man in the Delhi team will look to settle a few things with his fellow Indian opener and IPL counterpart. He is threatening from the very start of his innings and the KKR bowlers will look to clear him up within the first few overs.
Irfan Pathan – A change of action has done a world of good for Irfan Pathan who recently made a decent comeback in the national jersey. The Daredevils will need him to get a wicket or two early in his spell, since his weapons have a tendency of becoming blunt towards the end. He will also prove to be dependable with the bat during the finishing overs.
Andre Russell – There is no reason for Delhi to hold back an explosive all-rounder like Russell who has everything to turn a match upside-down. He is handy with the ball and may call on the shots with the bat as and when required. A true match-winner among the Delhi recruits.
Prediction
Going by the contrasts in the strengths of the current squads, I’m inclined to predict an easy win for KKR (assuming, of course, that the rain gods don’t play spoilsport). Also keep in mind that KKR have a habit of starting their campaign on a high note.