Kolkata, Kochi look to continue on winning ways (Preview)

For Kolkata auction and consequently new bunch of players seemed to have dawned upon confidence and belief in the set up that they have a chance to lay hands on the trophy this season. With new players not having a baggage of losses team had to suffer in previous editions, the team with new captain Gautam Gambhir is looking a champion material.

Team has gelled well and has already scored a hat-trick of victories to send a strong statement to the opponents. Every facet of their game is coming up together nicely with star players complemented by the performance of the young players in the side.

Batting effort has been led by Jacques Kallis and skipper Gautam Gambhir who has brilliantly anchored both the winning chases. Solid contributions have also come from the young Manoj Tiwary who is getting better and better every outing. Shaqibul Hassan and Eoin Morgan are yet to be tested as top order is doing well to make big runs and see the team through.

It is the bowling that has been real plus for the team. Fast bowlers Brett Lee and Laxmipathy Balaji have been on the money with their variations and left arm spinners Shaqibul and young Iqbal Abdulla have impressed one and all while leading the spin department. What is the refreshing from the side is the way they fielded and energy levels displayed in the ground can please any team management.

They will be up against the resurgent Kochi which has been on a role thanks to the two consecutive against two of the best teams in the tournament. After tasting defeat in first two games, newcomers in the IPL came back with a bang stunning Mumbai at Wankhede to chase down a big target following it up with another all-round display to outplay defending champions Chennai.

Skipper Mahela Jayewardene and explosive Brendon McCullum opening partnership have been responsible to fashion out both the victories giving blazing starts upfront and Ruvindu Jadeja, Brad Hodge and Parthiv Patel have simple followed the good work from the openers to lift the team from the bad beginning.

There are some concerns in the bowling department though. With Muralitharan struggling with his form and losing his place in the side, spin section is a weak area. Fast bowling, however, is showing an improvement after every game with RP Singh and Vinay Kumar making an impression against Chennai.

Kolkata, with home crowd supporting them to hilt and having a depth in both the departments of the game, start the favorites but Kochi, as they have done in last two games, can put a halt on their winning streak.

KOLKATA

Players who can make impact…

Laxmipathy Balaji…He was a regular in Indian team in the later stages of Sourav Ganguly‘s captaincy but back injury almost ended his career. IPL has given him a new lease of life and he is making an impression. His variations with the ball are difficult for batsmen to pick up and his slower bouncer is proving effective when the slog is on. He produced the ball of the tournament when a superb leg-cutter had Shane Watson’s off bail disturbed.

Gautam Gambhir…Not only he is proving to be an inspirational cricketer, Gambhir has decided it upon himself to anchor the batting effort. He has come undefeated on the both occasion during their successful chases and has been a calming influence for the players.

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.

KOCHI

Players who can make impact…

RP Singh…This left arm fast bowler is looking better after every outing and is getting the ball to shape in and out which he was so lethal with while playing for India. He is looking fitter and getting the ball to lift from the good length with some pace. He was superb with ball against Mumbai and Chennai to signal his return to the form.

Mahela Jayawardene…Wednesday’s encounter could well turn out to be a battle between two captains also. Like his opposite number Gambhir, Mahela showers his team with all the calm in the world and likes to lead from the front. With VVS Laxman out due to injury, he decided to open the innings with McCullum and has come trumps on both the occasions. He is in a terrific form which augurs well for the Kochi.

SQUAD

B McCullum, Balachandra Akhil, Brad Hodge, Chandan Madan, Deepak Chougule, Gnaneswara Rao, John Hastings, Kedar Jadhav, M Jayawardene (c), Michael Klinger, Muttiah Muralitharan, Owais Shah, P Padmanabhan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Raiphi Gomez, Ramesh Powar, Ravindra Jadeja, RP Singh, S Sreesanth, Steve O'Keefe, Steven Smith, Sushant Marathe, Tanmay Srivastava, Thissara Perera, Vinay Kumar,VVS Laxman, Yashpal Singh