IPL 6: Match 1 - KKR vs DD - Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

The defending champions will be missing a few of their stars

The sixth edition of the IPL kicks off with the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, taking on the Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After 4 years of drought, the Kolkata franchise owned by Shah Rukh Khan finally lifted the trophy last year, defeating the Chennai Super Kings in their home territory. However, will they be able to defend their title?

Tipped as one of the favourites, Kolkata Knight Riders would love to kick start their campaign with a win against the Delhi Daredevils. Although the Daredevils boast of a strong side, KKR is perhaps one of the most balanced sides in this IPL.

However, the King’s men do have a few concerns. Apart from coming up against a strong unit like Delhi, their biggest worry will be the lack of form of their captain, Gautam Gambhir, who was dropped from the Indian side that took on the Australians at home. The IPL might well be seen as the return vehicle of the gritty left-hander, and some runs against his former franchise will definitely boost his dwindling confidence. But the injury to Brendon McCullum and the absence of Shakib-al-Hasan will sting the defending champions against a strong bowling side like Delhi.

However, KKR has enough depth in their squad and the absence of stars might open the doors for the likes of Ryan ten Doeschate and Eoin Morgan, who haven’t seen much first team action. Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan both had a modest IPL last season and will look to make amends to their reputation.

The bowling, however, looks strong and will challenge the Daredevils’ top-heavy batting line up. Brett Lee, L. Balaji and Shami Ahmed will take charge of the pace attack while Sunil Narine will be joined by another mystery man, Sachithra Senanayake. The medium pace of Rajat Bhatia will take care of the middle overs while Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan will fill in when called on.

Conditions

Eden Gardens has been a happy hunting ground for the Knight Riders and the pitch has suited their bowlers. The pitch will be a traditional slow turner and will become slower as the game goes on. Stroke-making will be tough at the back end of the game, so the captain winning the toss might fancy getting the runs on the board first.

With summer setting in Kolkata, it is expected to be a humid day with the river breeze cooling things off as the game progresses. The humidity might play a part in the dew factor as well. However, like the last season, if the Kalboishakhi brings in a few showers, it might freshen up the pitch for the Delhi pacers.

Head to head

The Knights have won 5 out of the 10 matches when these two have faced each other. The teams met thrice last season, with both winning a piece in the group stages while Kolkata edged out Delhi in the first qualifier. In the first group stage fixture, a rain curtailed 12 overs affair, the Delhi bowlers had the Knight Riders hoping, and Morne Morkel and company left the Knights reeling at 97 for 9. The Daredevils chased it down with five balls to spare, much to the dismay of the Kolkata crowd.

However, the return match saw a much stronger performance from the Knight Riders, led by a superb fifty from Brendon McCullum. In the first qualifier, a strong performance from Knights’ bowlers and Yusuf Pathan saw Kolkata progress to the final.

Key players

Sachithra Senanayake – Might turn out to be the scoop of the season if he can turn it on with his mystery twin Sunil Narine. The Sri Lankan is rated very highly in his country and boasts of a variety of trickery in his repertoire.

Manvinder Bisla

Manvinder Bisla – He played the innings of his life against Chennai Super Kings in the finals of the last season and will definitely find a place in the side due to McCullum’s injury. He has all the shots in the book, and with his hitting prowess, can open up the game in a matter of few deliveries.

KKR strategy:

Play to their strength and let the track do the rest. Win the toss, bat first, get 160 plus and let Narine take over. Last season, their spinners dominated the home games and it shouldn’t be any different this time round. With Narine spearheading the slow bowling, they have an abundance of variety in the bowling department. Narine should go for the wickets while Senanayake, Abdulla and Pathan should look to stifle the opposition.

Possible XI:

McCullum is out, so is James Pattinson. Shakib is unavailable but Gambhir has recovered and will lead the side. Taking into account the venue, Knight Riders might pack their side with tweakers.

Gautam Gambhir (c), Jacques Kallis, Manvinder Bisla (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Debabrata Das/ Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Rajat Bhatiya, Sunil Narine, Brett Lee, L. Balaji/Iqbal Abdullah, Sachitra Senanayake.