Kolkata, Hyderabad seek maiden win (Preview)

Both teams come into this after having lost their opening game of this season. While Kolkata, as they have done in previous seasons, lost to MS Dhoni led Chennai from the positions where most teams could have won nine out of ten occasions, Hyderabad were outclassed by Shane Warne’s Rajasthan thanks to the shoddy batting performance by the latter.

After restricting Chennai to a gettable total, Kolkata, which opted to field in only two foreign players against the maximum four as far as IPL rules are concerned, surrendered a comfortable position during their run chase to lose a thrilling game on the last ball. There were some strange decisions which only team think tank can describe and one of them included skipper Gautam Gambhir deciding to demote himself to number six which, in the end, turned one of the main reasons for the defeat.  And, others were batsmen not able to read the situation and losing their wickets to some reckless batting and calling at the crucial junction. Even during their bowling effort, fielding was very poor as three simple catches were dropped.

This said and done, Kolkata’s current squad has a good number of players who can change any situation in their favour on their own and win games for their side. There are two important issues that Kolkata team management will need to address if they harbor any chances of go deep into the tournament-first, to find the best combination that can win games for them and, second, to instill a belief among the players that they have got what it takes to win.

Gambhir and company will surely have a relook at the batting order and some changes including that of Dutch all-rounder, Ryan Ten Doeschate who was one of the stars of world cup, coming into playing eleven is a possibility.

For  Hyderabad, losing their first game against Rajasthan at home where they hardly win anything , was a classic case of batsmen getting starts and not carrying on to play an innings of substance. Four batsmen including both openers got out in 20’s which resulted in Hyderabad posting a first inning which was easily rounded off easily by the Rajasthan.

There were some positives from the lost game too. Opening bowlers Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma bowled with lot of firepower and venom but got little support from other bowlers especially spinners that made defending a low total even more difficult. For Hyderabad to make their fast bowling duo more menacing, others have step up their play and make sure all three facets of game are put together.

With first game lost by both teams, significance of Monday’s encounter has added. Kolkata will have packed house to cheer them up but what would be interesting to see how Kolkata fans react after franchise think tank decided not to buy former Indian and Kolkata skipper in the auction. Minus Ganguly Kolkata side playing at Eden Gardens is a rare site and how home team gets that out of mind remains to be same.

The encounter at Eden Gardens will see a battle between strong bowling lineup of Hyderabad and explosive batting unit of Kolkata.

Kolkata

Lessons would have definitely learnt after a loss in Chennai and expectedly there are going to be some changes in terms of personnel that will make it playing eleven and who bats at which place. Most likely, Gambhir is either going to open the innings or at most bat at number three.

Eoin Morgan, one of the better limited overs players currently, needs to be told what his role is and should be given duties of finishing the games for the side as he has done so well for England and his county side. Being a star player, Jacques Kallis needs to step to the challenge and contribute more with the ball

There is no dearth of talent in the side and what management need to do is find a way how to get best out of them. Batting lineup boasts of players who have an ability to hit a long ball and make mockery of any IPL bowling unit.

It is the bowling that should concern Kolkata as Brett Lee and James Pattinson two Australian fast bowlers contracted to play for Kolkata will not be there with the team till their national duties aren’t finished. Bangladesh captain and all-rounder Shaqibul Hassan is also busy with his national side and will join the squad only after limited overs series against Australia is finished.

Till that time, bowling duties will have shared by predominantly Indian recruits and inclusion of Ryan Ten Doeschate can help Kolkata’s cause.

Players who can make impact…

Gautam Gambhir…Captaining the side, this India left hander loves the challenge. The challenge on Monday will to score some runs for the team. His cool and calm demeanor will come handy in the pressure situations. After batting too down in order on Friday, Gambhir will be keen to lead from the front and help his side to score its first maiden win.

Manoj Tiwary…He is back playing for his home team Kolkata. With no Ganguly in the squad, he is the biggest local star in the Kolkata side. He showed glimpses of his batting talent by hitting some lusty blows in previous but couldn’t carry on. He will be keen not to repeat the mistake.

SQUAD

Brad Haddin (wk),Brett Lee, Eoin Morgan, Gautam Gambhir(c),Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, Jaidev Unadkat, James Pattinson,Lakshmipathy 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

Hyderabad           

It was batting that let Hyderabad down in the first game as most of batsmen didn’t apply themselves and gave away their wickets at crucial junctures. Top order including skipper Kumar Sangakkara need to give lower which is an inexperienced one a solid foundation and take pressure of them.

Bowling is Hyderabad’s strong suit as it possesses the likes of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma and two talented Indian spinners in Pragyan Ojha and Amit Sharma. There is pace, variation and wicket taking ability in this bowling lineup.

Players who can make impact…

Dale Steyn…Arguably the best fast  bowler going around this right armer can turn the match in one over of his through pace, swing and bounce. He is always looking for the wickets and should his credentials by nearly winning the game for his side on Friday. His ability to get early breakthroughs with the new ball and then come back to put brakes on scoring rate in the death overs make him a lethal fast bowler.

Kumar Sangakkara…Stylish left-hander went for duck in the first game. He would be very keen to make amends by putting some runs on the board and guide young batsmen. If he gets going, pressure will be off from young batsmen who can express themselves in a better manner.

SQUAD

Akash Bhandari, Amit Mishra, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Ashish Reddy, Bharat Chipli, Cameron White, Chris Lynn, Dale Steyn, Daniel Christian, DR Teja, Harmeet Singh, Ishan Malhotra, Ishank Jaggi, Ishant Sharma, Jaydev Shah, JP Duminy, Juan Theron, K Sangakkara (c)(wk), Kedar Devdhar, Manpreet Gony, Michael Lumb, Pragyan Ojha, Shikhar Dhawan,  Sunny Sohal