Rajasthan Royals vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, Newlands, Cape Town – 23rd April, 2009 SET MAX (8:00 PM IST) – 14:30 GMT
Rajasthan Royals (RR) is back at Newlands and after a disappointing opening game at the ground RR will be looking to set things straight. Pitted against them is the in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who won their previous encounter against the Kings XI Punjab by the D/L method. The way the top order smashed the bowling all over the park in Durban should ring warning bells for the RR bowlers who will be prepared for the KKR blitzkrieg under Shane Warne’s able guidance.
Being in Newlands, RR does have an advantage over KKR. For starters, it is the home ground of South African captain, Graeme Smith. If anyone knows Newlands, it is Smith, and his experience at the ground will come in handy for the team. Says Warne “We are very lucky to have Smith by our side. He knows how to handle Newlands pitches better than anyone else and that makes him a crucial part of the team”. Tyron Henderson has a fair bit of experience at the ground as well and his experience will also come in handy for the team.
The weather too will play an important role in the match. Overcast conditions and the likely hood of rain will tilt the match in the bowlers favour and especially the slower bowlers. Tyron Henderson, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Shane Warne will relish these conditions. The big hitting KKR batting line-up will provide a good challenge to the RR bowlers. However, batting may be difficult in such conditions and the RR batsmen will rely heavily on Graeme Smith’s experience. RR’s batting was exposed in the previous match but according to Warne ‘RR will put up a good show this time around’. “Our batting did not click in the last match but I am sure the boys will do better against Kolkata” said Warne.
As long as the weather does not play spoil sport, the match will be worth a watch. The top order of KKR has been in good form so far while the RR bowling has been top notch as well. It will be a good contest between the two teams – one desperate for a victory and the other wanting to stretch its winning ways.
Players to watch out for: Shane Warne, Dimitri Mascarenhas
Duels: Dimitri Mascarenhas vs. Chris Gayle, Shane Warne vs. Saurav Ganguly
Tentative RR Squad: Shane Warne, Robet Quiney, Abhishek Raut, Morne Morkel, Paul Valthaty, Kamran Khan, Niraj Patel, Mahesh Rawat, Shane Harwood, Siddharth Trivedi, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Munaf patel, Graeme Smith, Tyron Henderson.
Halla Bol!!!
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