CSK to continue winning run at home
3 May 2014 5:22 AM IST
Since being out-slugged by table-toppers Kings XI Punjab in their high-scoring opening game, two-time champions CSK brought their A game into play, which saw them winning the next four matches with ease.
In contrast, the Knight Riders, who kicked off the seventh season of the cash-rich league with a bang, lost their way somewhat in the UAE, where the first-leg matches were held. With three defeats and two wins, the former winners will hope that their fortunes change for the better in their ‘home’ match. As far as the two captains are concerned, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is always confidence personified and has been marshalling the CSK outfit from the inaugural edition, and with a lot of success too.
His counterpart, Gautam Gambhir, after a miserable run of form that saw him being dismissed for two consecutive ducks, will be pleased with the 40-odd runs he made in his side’s last game, though in a losing cause.
The left-handed Gambhir would like to have a similar outing and it would do his team a world of good if he can improve on the strike rate. Considering the thin batting line-up, Gambhir’s presence is of paramount importance to KKR, and he would, as usual, expect veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis to bring into play all his experience.
Youngsters Manvinder Bisla, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav will have to put up a much better display if they are to tame the Super Kings. Sunil Narine will again be the key man with the ball but the Knight Riders have been relying too much on the mystery spinner for breakthrough.
The West Indian needs more support from pace spearhead Morne Morkel, who can be devastating on his day, and men like Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla. Kallis, as usual, will be there to roll his arm over. On the other hand, CSK will be high on confidence having posted four straight wins, their team often giving the impression of being one of the most balanced in the tournament.
Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith are as formidable as one gets at the top of the order. Both had a good outing in their five-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad and the pair could prove to be a thorn in KKR’s flesh.
In Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis and Dhoni, CSK have got a middle-order that is just about perfect for this form of the game. Ravindra Jadeja is there to do the job with both bat and ball. Ben Hilfenhaus will lead the pace attack that Ishwar Pandey and Mohit Sharma, while Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key man in spin department.
Teams KKR: Gautam Gambhir (c), Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Manish Pandey, Veer Pratap Singh, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, SS Mandal, Pat Cummins, Debabrata Das, Suryakumar Yadav, Manvinder Bisla, Ryan ten Doeschate, Kuldeep Yadav
CSK: MS Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Samuel Badree, Ben Hilfenhaus, Matt Henry, B Aparajith, Mithun Manhas, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Vijay Shankar, Ronit More, John Hastings.
Have not found any ego in KP: Quinton de Kock
New Delhi: South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is enjoying his stint with the Delhi Daredevils under Kevin Pietersen and would vouch that he is finding the England stalwart to be completely different from what his image is made out to be.
‘Frankly speaking, I didn’t meet or interact with KP before this IPL. But people had said a lot of stuff about his ego and so on. But I have not seen that part of him. So I don’t know what people mean when they speak about that part of him,’ De Kock said during a media interaction on the sidelines of Daredevils’ practice session.
‘KP looks a lot fired in the field because a captain has to keep his players in their place (referring to dropped catches),’ the 21-year-old said. De Kock on his own admission is finding it more comfortable adjusting to the Daredevils set-up having been in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dug-out in the previous season. ‘Obviously, it helps being around with familiar faces. I feel a lot more comfortable with Gary (Kirsten) and Rob (assistant coach Rob Walters) around. Lucky to be around people whom I know. In Sunrisers, there were a lot of Australians in their support staff. Having said that, I am not saying, I was uncomfortable in Hyderabad,’ he said.
Asked if he would like keeping wickets, De Kock said he doesn’t mind if the team management wants him to do so. ‘I really don’t mind keeping wickets whenever they want me to do so. If they think that I am a fine outfielder, I don’t really mind.’ Asked to sum up Daredevils’ UAE leg, De Kock said, ‘It was not bad. In the first few games, we struggled but we have come back strongly and are playing very good cricket at the moment.’
In contrast, the Knight Riders, who kicked off the seventh season of the cash-rich league with a bang, lost their way somewhat in the UAE, where the first-leg matches were held. With three defeats and two wins, the former winners will hope that their fortunes change for the better in their ‘home’ match. As far as the two captains are concerned, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is always confidence personified and has been marshalling the CSK outfit from the inaugural edition, and with a lot of success too.
His counterpart, Gautam Gambhir, after a miserable run of form that saw him being dismissed for two consecutive ducks, will be pleased with the 40-odd runs he made in his side’s last game, though in a losing cause.
The left-handed Gambhir would like to have a similar outing and it would do his team a world of good if he can improve on the strike rate. Considering the thin batting line-up, Gambhir’s presence is of paramount importance to KKR, and he would, as usual, expect veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis to bring into play all his experience.
Youngsters Manvinder Bisla, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav will have to put up a much better display if they are to tame the Super Kings. Sunil Narine will again be the key man with the ball but the Knight Riders have been relying too much on the mystery spinner for breakthrough.
The West Indian needs more support from pace spearhead Morne Morkel, who can be devastating on his day, and men like Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla. Kallis, as usual, will be there to roll his arm over. On the other hand, CSK will be high on confidence having posted four straight wins, their team often giving the impression of being one of the most balanced in the tournament.
Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith are as formidable as one gets at the top of the order. Both had a good outing in their five-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad and the pair could prove to be a thorn in KKR’s flesh.
In Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis and Dhoni, CSK have got a middle-order that is just about perfect for this form of the game. Ravindra Jadeja is there to do the job with both bat and ball. Ben Hilfenhaus will lead the pace attack that Ishwar Pandey and Mohit Sharma, while Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key man in spin department.
Teams KKR: Gautam Gambhir (c), Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Manish Pandey, Veer Pratap Singh, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, SS Mandal, Pat Cummins, Debabrata Das, Suryakumar Yadav, Manvinder Bisla, Ryan ten Doeschate, Kuldeep Yadav
CSK: MS Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Samuel Badree, Ben Hilfenhaus, Matt Henry, B Aparajith, Mithun Manhas, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Vijay Shankar, Ronit More, John Hastings.
Have not found any ego in KP: Quinton de Kock
New Delhi: South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is enjoying his stint with the Delhi Daredevils under Kevin Pietersen and would vouch that he is finding the England stalwart to be completely different from what his image is made out to be.
‘Frankly speaking, I didn’t meet or interact with KP before this IPL. But people had said a lot of stuff about his ego and so on. But I have not seen that part of him. So I don’t know what people mean when they speak about that part of him,’ De Kock said during a media interaction on the sidelines of Daredevils’ practice session.
‘KP looks a lot fired in the field because a captain has to keep his players in their place (referring to dropped catches),’ the 21-year-old said. De Kock on his own admission is finding it more comfortable adjusting to the Daredevils set-up having been in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dug-out in the previous season. ‘Obviously, it helps being around with familiar faces. I feel a lot more comfortable with Gary (Kirsten) and Rob (assistant coach Rob Walters) around. Lucky to be around people whom I know. In Sunrisers, there were a lot of Australians in their support staff. Having said that, I am not saying, I was uncomfortable in Hyderabad,’ he said.
Asked if he would like keeping wickets, De Kock said he doesn’t mind if the team management wants him to do so. ‘I really don’t mind keeping wickets whenever they want me to do so. If they think that I am a fine outfielder, I don’t really mind.’ Asked to sum up Daredevils’ UAE leg, De Kock said, ‘It was not bad. In the first few games, we struggled but we have come back strongly and are playing very good cricket at the moment.’
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