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| Kolkata Knight Riders’ Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan and Manoj Tiwary during a practice session, at the Eden, on Wednesday. (PTI) |
Calcutta: Will this Indian Premier League (IPL) season offer Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel or will the wait, to finish at least in the top-two of the premier T20 event, be prolonged once again?
These questions can only be answered at the end of the season.
If the first three seasons saw the KKR players being inconsistent and lacking temperament in vital situations, last season came as a welcome relief to their supporters.
A new ray of hope and optimism swept the camp as KKR finished fourth last year.
But then, you cannot live in the afterglow of your past achievements as KKR seek to start this season with a victory against the Delhi DareDevils at the Eden on Thursday.
KKR’s coach Trevor Bayliss felt it was imperative to start with a win. “A win in the first match always boosts your confidence. Within the first 15-16 days, we have to play five to six matches. So, our aim will be to win most of these matches so that we can develop a momentum,” Bayliss asserted.
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| Virender Sehwag, on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture |
The two teams, who will take the field on Thursday are a study in contrast.
Prior to last year, KKR have always ended at the bottom half of the table. Delhi, on the contrary, have always been the frontrunners until they had a free fall in IPL-IV, finishing last.
However, Delhi have made amends this time with some valuable transfers and purchases, which have given them a more balanced look.
Still, on the eve of their opener, the Delhi team are in a spot of bother as majority of their stars will be missing from action. The likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and David Warner are busy with their national engagements while Ross Taylor is ruled out with a broken left arm.
India under-19 captain, Unmukt Chand, too, is away on national duty and Varun Aaron is still doubtful after nursing a back injury.
“It is disappointing,” was how Delhi’s head coach, Eric Simons, summed up the situation at the media conference on Wednesday.
Their batting will rely heavily on captain Virender Sehwag, Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha and Yogesh Nagar. Sehwag, who is not among the runs and is coming off a back and shoulder injury, will be eager to return to form.
The DareDevils’ bowling seems to have lesser problems. The pace trio of Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel and Doug Bracewell can spell doom for the KKR batsmen while all-rounders Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao can also come in handy.
KKR, on the other hand, have a problem of plenty. With a balanced side, they will be out to prove their mettle. They will also be buoyed by the fact that most of their players are in fine form.
Partnered by one of the best all-rounders Jacques Kallis, Gambhir will lead the pack from the front against his former team.
Manoj Tiwary is expected to give solidity to the batting line-up. He will look to prove his worth after having warmed the bench for the national side for the past 12 matches.
The return of one of the former knights, Brendon McCullum, only makes them stronger. His ability to stand behind the wickets will give Gambhir more options.
In-form all-rounders Shakib-al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan and Laxmi Ratan Shukla are likely to form the core of the middle-order. While Shakib is coming on the back of his superb showing in the Asia Cup recently, Yusuf has recently returned to the India fold with his decent showing in the domestic season.
KKR’s bowling, too, has a lot of variety. Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Shami Ahmed will be ably supported by Kallis, Shakib and Shukla.
Ahead of the clash, the KKR team management also seemed to be happy with the Eden pitch, which created a lot of controversy last season.
“The pitch looks to be flat, hard and nice. I hope it behaves well on the match day,” Bayliss said.
Teams
Kolkata Knight Riders (likely): Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib-al Hasan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Brett Lee, Iqbal Abdulla, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Shami Ahmed
Delhi DareDevils (likely): Virender Sehwag, Naman Ojha, Robin Bisht, Aaron Finch, Andre Russell, Venugopal Rao, Irfan Pathan, Morne Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe, Shahbaz Nadeem, Umesh Yadav
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, S. Asnani
TV: Subrat Das
Match Referee: Graeme Lebroy
KEY MEN
Kolkata Knight Riders
Gautam Gambhir: The captain will certainly be the key to KKR’s success. His knowledge about Delhi DareDevils will be a huge advantage for the Calcutta-based side. After a lull he has regained his form over the last couple of months. KKR will hope that he continues to be in good touch.
Jacques Kallis: He will be expected to give the Knights a good start. He can hold the innings together and can also go for big shots when the situation demands. He has been an indomitable force for KKR last season. And trust him to deliver this time, too..
Brett Lee: Having him in the team is always an added advantage. After retiring from Test cricket, he has now got fitter and can manage his body better. Twenty20 suits him fine and in his four-over spell, he can dismantle any batting line-up.
Delhi DareDevils
Virender Sehwag: Given a depleted Delhi side, much will depend on him. The fact that he is not among the runs can motivate him to strike form. He is capable of scoring freely against the best of attacks and even his mishits can fly off for huge sixes. KKR will find the going tough if they don’t get rid of him quickly.
Irfan Pathan: He has shown that he still has a lot of cricket left in him. His ability to swing the ball both ways will give Delhi the edge in bowling. At the Eden, he will draw upon all his experience to trouble the batsmen. Delhi will hope that Pathan contributes with the bat, too.
Morne Morkel: His form has been brilliant this season. Of late, he has taken plenty of wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20s. Delhi will surely want him to translate this success in the IPL. His sharp pace and awkward bounce can also trouble the batsmen.
KKR & DD:In numbers
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Delhi DareDevils as they kick off their IPL-V campaign, at Eden Gardens, on Thursday. The teams have played seven times, with KKR and DD winning thrice each, while the other match was washed out. The Calcutta-based outfit have won both the matches that were played in the city. In neutral venues, though, they have never been able to beat DD. In Delhi, the honours are even with both teams winning once.
Highest totals
KKR: 181/3 (20 ovs), in Calcutta, April 7, 2010
DD: 177/4 (20 ovs), in Delhi, March 29, 2010
Lowest totals
KKR: 123/8 (20 ovs), in Wanderers, May 10, 2009
l DD: 110 (17.5 ovs), in Calcutta, May 13, 2008
Highest scores (Individual)
KKR: 74 by MN van Wyk, in Durban, May 5, 2009
l DD: 107* by David Warner, in Delhi, March 29, 2010
Best bowling
KKR: 4/11 by Shoaib Akhtar, in Calcutta, May 13, 2008
DD: 3/14 by Amit Mishra, in J’burg, May 10, 2009
Mohandas Menon
