Indian Premier League - Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders
by Juris Graney
Rajasthan needs to refocus their attention ahead of Kolkata clash
Shane Warne’s Rajasthan Royals promised so much in the lead up to this year’s Indian Premier League.
The inaugural winners talked the talk but with four losses on the trot including their dismal effort against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last hit out managing the tournament’s lowest score thus far, routed for 92.
Indian Premier League Odds
Saturday, March 20, (6am EST) 4pm Ahmadabad Local Time
Rajasthan Royals +160
Kolkata Knight Riders -200
Proteas captain Graeme Smith and England all rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas have been ruled out through injury and their replacements, Michael Lumb and Damien Martyn, offered very little to the overall makeup of the team in their first hit outs.
Martyn’s 19 was the second highest score in his team’s total behind Yusuf Pathan’s 26 while Lumb, who opened the innings, fell for 10.
Rajasthan looked a far cry from the team that scored 208 in the second match of the tournament against Mumbai and if they are going to be any chance against the high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders then it’s the batsmen who are going to need to take charge.
And with the likes of Kiwi quick Shane Bond throwing rockets from one end and India’s Ishant Sharma similarly hurling quick nuts from the other end and with both bowlers ability to swing the ball, Rajasthan top order sounds feeble.
Naman Ojha’s scores of 16, 24 and 12 along with Abhishek Jhunjhunwala’s 14, 53 not out and 5 all were starts yet they both batsmen failed to go on to create anything substantial other than Jhunjhunwala’s unbeaten 53 against Delhi.
Pathan has yet to be able to replicated his 37-ball century in the opening match and it appears that local knowledge from Indian team mates is starting to leak through to other teams.
In his last bat, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Vinay Kumar peppered the 27-year-old 33-Test veteran with bouncers pushing him back in his crease and stifling runs and piling on the pressure.
Bond and Sharma will similarly be called on by captain Sourav Ganguly to maintain a short pitch bowling plan against Rajasthan’s marquee player.
Kolkata on the other hand have been scintillating with two easy victories followed by a 55-run loss in their last hit out against Chennai Super Kings.
Their normally economical and deadly attack strayed slightly and was unable to break a 111-run partnership between Subramaniam Badrinath (43 not out) and MS Dhoni (66 not out).
Kolkata’s loss gave a glimpse on their vulnerability in the middle order if they lose their openers cheaply.
Unlike in the first match when Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and England’s Owais Shah rescued their team after a poor start, they were unable to launch the same rear-guard action in their last match.
Rajasthan need to dislodge openers Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary early to get among the juicy middle order and remove Shah or Mathews cheaply.
With their Indian Premier League almost certainly over with another loss, Rajasthan will be feeling the pressure to perform.
