Kolkata Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors India

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors India - 20-20



Read my content : Knight Riders spoil Ganguly's home coming at Eden


Match 47, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India, 
Sat, 05 May 2012 04:00 PM IST
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss & elected to bat


Commentary ::

Sourav Ganguly - Well, this ovation feels great and more importantly, it feels great to be playing in Kolkata. Is one of the best cricketing grounds in the world. I have played over here before and doesn't look like it has changed much. We need to get a win tonight, should have won a couple of days ago as well. Usually, in Ranji matches, there is a bit of grass on the surface but given that this is a T20, don't expect too much grass.

Gautam Gambhir - So far it has been good and hopefully we can continue with the same. Wee have been playing as a unit and hope we can get some good results today. It is always a good feeling and a good headache when you have more than four quality foreigners. Twenty20 format is one where you cannot predict.

Kolkata are placed second on the points table while Pune, thanks to 4 successive losses, are at number 8. A loss here would mean that Pune cannot make it to the play-offs. In fact, they need to treat each and every match as a knock-out from here on. This is the trio of Karthik, Mihir and Tarun to take you through the proceedings. Sit back and enjoy!

The Kolkata Knight Riders have been on a roll since the start of the IPL and it is no surprise as they are now placed second on the points table, just below the mighty Delhi Daredevils. After having thrashed the Chennai Super Kings in Chepauk, the Knight Riders would be high on cofidence going into their next encounter, where they take on the Pune Warriors India at the Eden Gardens. The Warriors would be disappointed with their performance against the Mumbai Indians, losing to the visiting side by just one run. Sitting at the bottom of the table is not a pleasant sight for Pune, though, they will be itching to get back to winning ways as Sourav Ganguly visits his home town to play against his former team. Expect a lot of cheers for the Prince of Kolkata, but equal support for the home team as well. This should be an interesting contest to witness.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS   Points :  13
Player
Manoj Tiwary
Sunil Narine
James Pattinson
Ryan ten Doeschate
Shakib Al Hasan
Jacques Kallis
Eoin Morgan
Yusuf Pathan
Brad Haddin
Brett Lee
Gautam Gambhir (C)
Brendon McCullum
Chirag Jani
Debabrata Das
Iqbal Abdulla
Iresh Saxena
Jaidev Unadkat
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Laxmi Shukla
Manvinder Bisla
Marchant de Lange
Pradeep Sangwan
Rajat Bhatia
Sanju Samson
Sarabjit Ladda
Shami Ahmed
Coach: 
Trevor Bayliss

PUNE WARRIORS INDIA Points :  8
Player
Alfonso Thomas
Ali Murtaza
Angelo Mathews
Anustup Majumdar
Ashish Nehra
Ashok Dinda
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Callum Ferguson
Dheeraj Jadhav
Eklavya Dwivedi
Harpreet Singh Bhatia
Harshad Khadiwale
Jesse Ryder
Kamran Khan
Krishnakant Upadhyay
Luke Wright
Mahesh Rawat
Manish Pandey
Marlon Samuels
Michael Clarke
Mithun Manhas
Mohnish Mishra
Murali Kartik
Rahul Sharma
Raiphi Gomez
Robin Uthappa
Sachin Rana
Shrikant Wagh
Sourav Ganguly (C)
Steven Smith
Tamim Iqbal
Wayne Parnell
Coach: 
Geoff Marsh

Match Analysis :: 


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KKR win easily

Riding on a disciplined bowling and fielding display, KKR first restricted Kings XI to 124 for seven after sent into bowl, and then skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a fine unbeaten half century to overwhelm the target with 21 balls in hand.

Gambhir scored an unbeaten 66 off 44 balls with the help of seven fours and a six to hold the chase together and see his side home. Gambhir was ably supported by Jacques Kallis, who scored an unbetaen 30 off 23 balls. The duo stitched unconquered 53 runs for the third-wicket as KKR scored 127 for two in 16.3 overs. 

Earlier, Kings XI batsmen lost wickets at regular intervals to be restricted to the modest total after opting to bat at the PCA stadium.  Captain Adam Gilchrist, who retired hurt in the sixth over with a right hamstring problem only to return later to drag his side out of trouble, top-scored with an unbeaten 40, while Shaun Marsh made a 30-ball 33 with the help of four boundaries. Kings XI batsmen struggled from the onset against a determined KKR bowling line up and it could be gauged from the fact that only three of their batters could manage double figures.

Wily West Indian off-spinner Sunil Narine (2/24) and Brett Lee (2/26) starred with the ball for KKR, sharing four wickets between them. Laxmipathy Balaji (1/20) and Rajat Bhatia (1/23) also picked up a wicket each for the visitors. KKR's started their run chase on a blistering pace, racing on to their fifty inside the sixth over.

Brendon McCullum (15) was the initial aggressor as he clobbered Praveen Kumar for two boundaries in the first over.  KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir matched his partner stroke by stroke and welcomed Harmeet Singh with a huge six over mid-wicket and a four in the bowler's opening over.

After the initial burst, McCullum found boundaries hard to come by, which finally led to his dismissal. Struggling to score freely, the Kiwi hit a Piysuh Chawla's (2/19) short, way down the leg side delivery straight to Dimitri Mascarenhas at short fine-leg, but not before stitching a 53-run opening stand with Gambhir.

Chawla picked up his second wicket four overs later when Manvinder Bisla (11) dragged a delivery on to his stumps. Gambhir, on the other hand, played a calm and composed innings and notched up his half century in just 36 balls.

In Kallis, Gambhir found a perfect partner as they duo went about their business in style.  Kallis struck little-kwown Bhargav Bhatt for back-to-back four and a six to finish off the run chase in emphatic fashion.

Kings XI's last year's hero, Paul Valthaty once again disappointed as he fell early, outside edging a Lee delivery to Bisla behind the stumps in the third over. To make matters worse for Kings XI, Gilchrist had to retired hurt in the sixth over.

Kings XI failed to get a substantial partnership as Mandeep Singh (6), Marsh, David Hussey (10), Paras Dogra (6) and Mascarenhas (9) all departed in quick intervals. Marsh's dismissal in the 14th over, however, turned out to be a little controversial.

The left-hander underedged an attempted cut off a Lee delivery which just seemed to have carried to Bisla behind the wicket. But the batsmen was not satisfied and walked away only after checking with the keeper.

The dismissal also brought Kings XI owner Preity Zinta on to the ground as she was not satisfied with the decision. She, however, left the field only after Gilchrist intervened. Towards the end, Gilchrist and Chawla (9) tried their level best to shoot up the run rate but failed.

Kolkata takes the Charge against Royals

Rajasthan Royals (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Rajasthan Royals 

IPL 2012

TOSS: Rajasthan Royals won the toss, and elected to bat first

RESULT: Kolkata won by 5 Wickets

Date: 13th April 2012

Having found the winning touch in their last match, Kolkata Knight Riders would be hoping to maintain the momentum when they host Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League return match on Friday. The timing could not have been better for the Knights to capitalize as the Royals are coming after a battering at the hands of Mumbai Indians in their last match.

With the Knight Riders' next match (vs. Kings XI Punjab on Sunday) also scheduled at home, maintaining the winning momentum will top their agenda. Whereas Rahul Dravid's men appear a bit tired with the hectic scheduling, the Knights are fortunate to get a day's extra break after their win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.

It took the think-tank a bit of chopping and changing to get to the winning mode after the back-to-back losses against Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in season five.

The four changes in the line-up meant that skipper Gautam Gambhir elevated himself to his usual slot, dropping out of form Kiwi opener Brendon McCullum, a move that set the tone in their much-needed maiden victory this season.

Gambhir led the way with a brisk 39-ball 64 to set up a total of 166, which eventually turned out to be a winning one. But their biggest plus point was the inclusion of veteran seamer Laxmipathy Balaji whose fired-up spell of 4-1-18-4, after Kallis took the prized-scalp of Chris Gayle, set the victory.

"Balaji is a quality bowler and has the capability to take wickets on any pitch. Hats off to him for the way he bowled. This was the best spell that I have ever seen in a Twenty20 competition," Gambhir said.  "It feels nice to finally get a win under our belt. To be honest, it was a team effort. I am pretty happy by the performance of the boys."

KKR would hope that sports psychologist Dr Rudi Webster give some mantra to the explosive Yusuf Pathan. Yusuf had scored 1011 for the Royals at an average of 26.6 and with a strike-rate of 161.2, to go with his 20 wickets, but is yet to notch up a fifty representing the Knights.

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who was finally included in the line-up after much criticism, is yet to fire and the Bangladeshi would be keen to be in the thick of action on the slow Eden Gardens strip. It would be naive to write off the Royals who turned it around with successive wins against Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in the first-leg.

For Dravid and Co, having experienced their first defeat in Mumbai -- their first in an away match -- it would be a challenge to conquer the odds outside home. The bowling would be the main concern ahead of their second outing away from home.

The bowlers were at the receiving end against Kieron Pollard in the team's 27-run loss to Mumbai Indians. The team would hope that the bowlers stick to the task the way they did against the same team in the first-leg while defending 164.

"We have a young bowling attack, there's a little inexperience there. But there are lessons to be learnt. We will try and keep improving," Dravid said after their loss in Mumbai. Batting is not much of a worry though with Ajinkya Rahane and Owais Shah in splendid form. The duo gave Mumbai a run for money before the Englishman was castled by Lasith Malinga.

In their last meeting, Rahane was out for a duck after a superb 98 against Kings XI in their campaign opener. The orthodox top-order batsman would look to open his account against the Knights. The weather god stole the show in the last match at the Eden before the home side lost their opener in a rain-curtailed fixture.

Both the camps will keep their fingers crossed with sudden thundershowers towards the evening being the norm these days.

Teams (from):

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Gautam Gambhir (Capt.)

Jacques Kallis

Manvinder Bisla (wk)

Yusuf Pathan

Manoj Tiwary

Ryan ten Doeschate

Shakib Al Hasan

Laxmi Ratan Shukla

Brett Lee

Rajat Bhatia

Laxmipathy Balaji

Chirag Jani

Debabrata Das

Iqbal Abdulla

Iresh Saxena

Jaidev Unadkat

Pradeep Sangwan

Sanju Samson

Sarabjit Singh Ladda

Mohammad Shami Ahmed

Brendon McCullum

Eoin Morgan

Marchant de Lange

Sunil Narine

Rajasthan Royals:

Rahul Dravid (Capt.)

Ajinkya Rahane

Shreevats Goswami (wk)

Owais Shah

Ashok Menaria

Johan Botha

Kevon Cooper

Ankeet Chavan

Brad Hogg

Amit Singh

Siddharth Trivedi

Aakash Chopra

Abhishek Raut

Aditya Dole

Ajit Chandalia

Amit Paunikar

Amit Singh

Deepak Chahar

Dishant Yagnik

Faiz Fazal

Gajendra Singh

Pankaj Singh

Sreesanth

Samad Fallah

Stuart Binny

Sumit Narwal

Brad Hodge

Dinesh Chandimal

Paul Collingwood