The nine-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals on Friday has given the Gautam Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders the required momentum before the return match of IPL-IV between the two teams at the Eden Gardens here on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals, the winner of the first edition, has the potential to come hard at KKR to take revenge and also to re-establish its credentials as one of the contenders for the crown this year too.
Boasting of strong batting line-ups, the game will be fought on the batting strengths of the two teams. The inclusion of pace spearhead Brett Lee and left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan has certainly added variety to KKR's attack.
Led by the shrewd Shane Warne, Royals has the talent and ability to beat the best of the teams. Its loss to KKR could be attributed to unnecessary tinkering with the batting line-up just as KKR did in its opening match against defending champion Chennai Super Kings.
Wrong move
By holding back the hard-hitting Shane Watson, Royals seemed to have erred as the Aussie could have made full use of the fielding restrictions in the first six overs.
With Johan Botha coming in at his usual No. 3 position and Kiwi Ross Taylor to follow, Rajasthan Royals could have realised its full batting potential. The wily Warne will certainly restore the balance in the batting order on Sunday.
For KKR, Jacques Kallis must be given the credit for the way he has batted. The burly South African anchored the batting with a flawless innings and his solidity gave Gambhir the opportunity to go for his shots. Three half-centuries in three games have certainly made Kallis the man to be watched.
The best part of KKR is the number of classy all-rounders it has in the squad. Other than Kallis, it has young Iqbal Abdulla (who is quite handy with the bat), Shakib and Yusuf Pathan who can contribute significantly with both bat and ball. The KKR bowling can be a problem if Lee and medium-pacer L. Balaji go for runs. Slow-medium bowler Rajat Bhatia, with his teasing leg-cutters, has proved highly successful especially on slow wickets. What can go against the home team is its fielding which needs a lot of improvement.
KKR is likely to go into the game with the winning combination unless the pitch demands otherwise.
It is to be seen, whether Warne, who does not like to disturb the combination too much, will make any change or go in with the same team.
The Eden Gardens curator has prepared a couple of wickets and left the onus of choosing the pitch to the home team.
