'Prince' of Kolkata versus Kolkata (Preview)

Surely most of Bengal wouldl be rooting for their favorite son Sourav Ganguly despite the fact he would represent the opposition against their city team in tomorrow’s match at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The Kolkata team management had come in for a lot of criticism for not picking the former Team India skipper in the auction early this year. Although, he was the face of Kolkata for the first three editions of IPL they were tagged as perennial underperformers.

Pune after having been knocked out of the top-four race have nothing to lose, they would be playing for the proverbial pride, especially for Ganguly who has an opportunity to prove to the very people who thought he was no longer good enough for IPL that he is the real ‘Bengal Tiger’. Pune however have some things to worry about. The top-order collapse in the last match against Hyderabad cost them the match in spite of Mitchell Marsh’s fine innings. Among the bowlers, Rahul Sharma has been a revelation, his control and accuracy are something to watch, and for sure he is international material.

For Kolkata, this is a crunch match. They for all money were set for a play-off spot but suddenly the resurgence of Punjab has threatened their position in the ‘green-zone’. Thus, Kolkata would like to seal it here with a comprehensive win that would put their net run rate beyond Punjab in case both the teams finish on equal points.

Rain played a big role in the loss against Bangalore in their last match. However, the Kolkata top order has to play with a sense of responsibility rather than blindly go after the bowlers as they did against Bangalore. Nonetheless, the bowling seems to be alright with Brett Lee and Iqbal Abdulla performing really well.

PUNE

Players who can make impact

Sourav Ganguly…Known as ‘King of comebacks’ in Indian cricket, Ganguly rose from the ashes to be recruited by Pune in the second half of the season. The left hander didn’t disappoint and played a good hand in his first appearance for the new franchise but was out for a 6-ball duck in the next match. Playing against the side that dumped him, Bengal tiger will be fired up to let his bat roar.

Jesse Ryder….The burly left-hander’s performance this year hasn’t matched his abilities with the bat. Occasionally, he has shown what he is made of but has lacked consistency and application big time leading to the numbers that don’t justify his immense talent. With Pune’s campaign coming to a close, the Kiwi will try to make a lasting impression against strong Kolkata bowling lineup.

SQUAD

Yuvraj Singh (c) , Sourav Ganguly,A Jhunjhunwala,Alfonso Thomas,Angelo Mathews,Ashish Nehra,Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Callum Ferguson,Dheeraj Jadhav,Eklavya Dwivedi,Ganesh Gaikwad, Graeme Smith,Harpreet Singh,Harshad Khadiwale,Imtiyaz Ahmed,Jerome Taylor, Jesse Ryder,Kamran Khan,Manish Pandey,Mitchell Marsh,Mithun Manhas,Monish Mishra,Murali Kartik,Nathan McCullum,Rahul Sharma,Robin Uthappa,Sachin Rana,Shrikant Mundhe,Shrikant Wagh,Tim Paine (wk),Wayne Parnell

Kolkata

Players who can make impact

Yusuf Pathan…An outright star in the slam bang format of the game, Yusuf has played some useful cameos this season for his new franchise but hasn’t had a innings of substance thus far. With Kolkata one win away from making it to the play-offs, Kolkata fans would be hoping that big hitting Yusuf has reserved his best for the big occasion. He can also be more than a handful with his quickish off-breaks.

Jacques Kallis…An all-rounder of his class gives Kolkata stability and insurance at the top of the order and his useful four overs of pace in the middle stages. The DY Patil track offers some swing and seam with the new ball which makes Kallis’ role even more important to the side. He can thwart early bursts from Pune fast bowlers and allow others to go for big shots.

SQUAD

Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Eoin Morgan, Gautam Gambhir(c), Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, Jaidev Unadkat, James Pattinson, Laxmipathy Balaji, Laxmi Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan ten Doeschate, Saqibul Hassan, Sarabjit Ladda, Shami Ahmed, Shreevats Goswami (wk),Yusuf Pathan.