Kolkata Favourites Against Pune

On a high after back-to-back wins, Kolkata Knight Riders will start favourites against the struggling Pune Warriors India when the two bottom-half teams clash on Wednesday.
Having achieved back-to-back wins, the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR may have to again depend on off-spinner Sunil Narine and experienced all-rounder Jacques Kallis against Pune, a team they beat only last week.
Both played pivotal roles in their win against Royal Challengers Bangalore in KKR's previous match.
Kallis, who had an excellent outing with both bat and ball against RCB, had said on Sunday that winning would motivate KKR to strive for what seems like an unlikely playoff berth.
Pune, on the other hand, would strive to sign off their campaign on a winning note to make up a bit for their 12 losses and a bottom finish.
PWI would have to largely depend on Yuvraj Singh, but he would have to adapt well to the pitch which did not encourage big hitting during the KKR-RCB tie.

Teams from:

Pune Warriors: Aaron Finch (captain), Angelo Mathews, Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Nayar, Ajanta Mendis, Ali Murtaza, Anustup Mazumdar, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dheeraj Jadhav, Eklavya Dwivedi, Harpreet Singh, Ishwar Pandey, Kane Richardson, Krishnakant Upadhyay, Luke Wright, Mahesh Rawat, Manish Pandey, Marlon Samuels, Mitchell Marsh, Mithun Manhas, Parveez Rasool, Rahul Sharma, R Gomez, Robin Uthappa (wk), Shrikant Wagh, T Suman, Tamim Iqbal, Udit Birla and Wayne Parnell.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Manvinder Bisla (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Rajat Bhatia, Laxmipathy Balaji, Sarabjit Ladda, Brad Haddin (wk), Debabrata Das (wk), Iqbal Abdulla, Brett Lee, Ryan McLaren, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Sumit Narwal, Suchitra Senanayake, Pradeep Sangwan, Shami Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ryan ten Doeschate, Manoj Tiwary and James Pattinson.

Match facts
Wednesday May 15, 2013 (day/night)
Start time 16:00 local (1030 GMT)

Pathan, Kallis Lead Kolkata in Easy Win

Chasing 133-run target, Yusuf Pathan (49*) and Jacques Kallis (33*) batted well as Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by 8 wickets with 2.4 overs to spare against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens on Friday.
Yusuf Pathan remains stranded on 49, Kallis hits winning boundary. KKR have won their fourth this season and have barely kept themselves alive, while Rajasthan now continue to have 12 points from their 10 games.
Knight Riders lost Manvinder Bisla (29) and skipper Gautam Gambhir (12) in quick succession after a solid start against Royals.
The openers added 41 runs before Shane Watson dismissed Gambhir in the sixth over to give Royals a crucial breakthrough and reduce Kolkata to 41/1 in 5.3 overs.
Bisla followed his skipper soon in the eighth over by giving a simple catch to Ajinkya Rahane off Ankit Chavan. Bisla hit a six and four boundaries in his 25-ball innings.
Asked to field, discipline Knight Riders bowlers took wickets at regular intervals to restrict Rajasthan to 132 for 6.
Royals batsmen failed to put on any substantial partnerships during their innings after losing two early wickets and set a modest 133-run target.
Sachithra Senanayake was the pick of Kolkata bowlers, taking two Royals wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. Rajat Bhatia (1-21), Sunil Narine (1-20), Iqbal Abdulla (1-22) and Jacques Kallis (1-25) also picked up a wicket apiece.
Young Sanju Samson was the top-scorer for the visitors with 36-ball 40 as he hit two maximums and a four in his innings. Shane Watson (35) and Owais Shah (24) also contributed handsomely in their team's effort.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and decided to bat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the defending champions' last league fixture at the Eden.
Rajasthan have made three changes in their team from the last game citing the slow and low wicket at the Eden. Brad Hogg replaced Brad Hodge, Ankit Chavan came in for Ajit Chandila and Dishant Yagnik included in Sreesanth's place.
Hosts KKR have included Sachithra Senanayake and left out Brett Lee for this game, whereas, spinner Iqbal Abdulla replaced pacer L Balaji.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Manvinder Bisla (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Eoin Morgan, Debabrata Das, Rajat Bhatia, Sumit Narwal, Sunil Narine, Iqbal Abdulla, Sachithra Senanayake.

Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (Capt.), Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Owais Shah, James Faulkner, Siddharth Trivedi, Brad Hogg, Ankit Chavan, Dishant Yagnik (wk). 

Brief scores
Rajasthan Royals 132/6 (Samson 40, Watson 35, Senanayake 2-26)
Kolkata Knight Riders 133/2 (Pathan 49*, Kallis 33*)
Result Kolkata Knight Riders won by 8 wickets 
Points Kolkata Knight Riders 2, Rajasthan Royals 0
MOM Yusuf Pathan (Kolkata Knight Riders)

IPL Score : Bisla, Morgan Help Gosts Coast KKR

Manvinder Bisla was unbeaten on a well compiled 51 and coupled with a cameo from Eoin Morgan took Kolkata to a comfortable 6 wicket victory over Punjab.
Azhar Mahmood jolted Kolkata at the start when he sent back Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan cheaply. However, Jacques Kallis and Manvinder Bisla strung together a partnership that slowly got Kolkata back on track. 
Harmeet Singh sent back Kallis but Morgan finished off the contest with some lusty blows. Bisla came back to form and notched up his third fifty in the Indian T20 League as Kolkata snapped their three match losing strea at home.
Kallis and Manvinder Bisla consolidated Kolkata innings and guided the side past 50 in 6.2 overs.
Azhar Mahmood gave Punjab a dream start by dismissing Kolkata openers Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan in consecutive deliveries of the second over after visitors posted 149/6.
While Gambhir (8) was bowled out, Pathan (0) was caught behind by Gilchrist.
A solid opening wicket stand and decent contribution from the middle order helped Kings XI Punjab set a challenging 150 for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Manan Vohra (31, 21 balls) top scored for the Kings, as almost everybody in the line-up -- Adam Gilchrist (27), Mandeep Singh (25), David Hussey (21) made small contributions.
However, it was Gurkeerat Singh's 15-ball unbeaten 28 studded with two boundaries and an equal number of sixes that took them to a fighting total.
On a day, when the Knight Riders spin ploy did not work, Jacques Kallis (4-0-14-2) with two crucial wickets of Mandeep and Hussey ensured that the home side had their moments and did not let the Kings off the hook.
It was one of the rare day when Purple Cap holder Sunil Narine went wicketless (4-0-22-0), while Sachithra Senanayake and leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda conceded 47 runs from six overs together.
Balaji (one for 44) conceded 18 runs in the last over with two sixes and one four, bearing the brunt of Gurkeerat Singh (28 not out from 15 balls; 2x4, 2x6) that took Kings to a competitive total.
Put in to bat, Kings XI made a slow but sensible start as Gilchrist took time to settle down while talented Mandeep scored briskly with some elegant shots.
Lucky to survive a runout at the non-striking end, Gilchrist played Senanayake watchfully as the KKR off-spinner began with a maiden.
Mandeep however played freely hitting Balaji for two boundaries before charging out to Narine for the same effect to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Gilchrist soon got into the act when he took on Senanayake resulting in 12 runs as they were 45 for no loss at the end of Powerplay.
It was then smart captaincy from Gambhir, who brought in Kallis immediately after six overs, which helped in breaking the partnership.
Kallis, who had an injury scare in the previous match after twisting his knee, struck in his very first ball dismissing the inform Mandeep.
Just when a set-looking Gilchrist looked to break free by hitting Bhatia over midwicket, the Knight Riders had another breakthrough.
In what turned out to be a soft dismissal, Gilchrist who in his prime time would have cleared the park with his pull found Morgan's safe hands to continue his miserable outing.
But to the Kings' delight, there was no panic in the middle. Vohra played a fine cameo with one six and three fours before being dismissed by Balaji as the Kings XI maintained a seven-plus scoring rate.
Earlier, Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to bat.
Kolkata have brought in a leg-spinner in place of Iqbal Abdulla. Azhar Mahmood staged a come back in Punjab squad in place of Pomersbach, while Gurkeerat Singh replaced Parvinder Awana.

Teams

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, MS Bisla, Eoin Morgan, DB Das (wk), Rajat Bhatia, SMSM Senanayake, Sunil Narine, S Ladda, L Balaji

Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (captain & wk), Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Bhargav Bhatt

Brief scores
Kings XI Punjab 149/6 (Vohra 31)
Kolkata Knight Riders 150/4 (Bisla 51*, Morgan 42, Kallis 37, Mahmood 3-35)
Result Kolkata Knight Riders won by 6 wickets
Points Kolkata Knight Riders 2, Kings XI Punjab 0
MOM Jacques Kallis (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Kolkata to Clash with Struggling Punjab

Having slumped to two successive defeats, Kings XI Punjab will be hoping to revive their fortune when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the Pepsi IPL 6 match on TuesdayLacklustre KXIP would be looking to exploit the home conditions against a strong Kolkata outfit, who got back to winning ways, outplaying Sunrisers Hyderabad by 48 runs on Sunday at their home ground.
Kings XI had began their campaign on a winning note against Pune Warriors but had failed to sustain the momentum against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
In fact, in their match against Rajasthan last night, they were handed a royal thrashing with the opposition running away with a comfortable six-wicket win.
The biggest problem for the Adam Gilchrist-led side is that it had failed to utilise its full 20 overs in the last two games.
The team folded in the 20th over against CSK, whereas it lost the plot in the 19th over against formidable the Royals.
For Kings XI to make a contest against KKR, who start as clear favourites at the PCA Stadium on Tuesday, they would need the likes of Gilchrist, David Hussey, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, R Sathish to fire in unison.
David Hussey has been the lone bright spot in KXIP's batting line up and they would expect him to continue his good show.
On the other hand, the Knight Riders are well aware that against a weak opposition they stand a good chance to improve their tally at the league stage and hence, they would everything to go for that kill.
KKR would look to repeat their power-packed batting performance of last night against Hyderabad.
It was a team effort and nothing less than that would satisfy the Knight Riders on Tuesday as well.

Teams from

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Manvinder Bisla (wk), Jacques Kalis, Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, Eoin Morgan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Pradeep Sangwan, Sunil Narine, Laxmipathy Balaji, Brendon McCullum (wk), Brad Haddin (wk), Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachithra Senanayake, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Sarabjit Ladda, Debabrata Das, Iqbal Abdulla, Mohammad Shami Ahmed.

Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (captain & wk), Azhar Mahmood, Luke Pomersbach, David Hussey, David Miller, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Manpreet Gony, Nitin Saini, Parvinder Awana, Paul Valthaty, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Rajagopal Sathish, Ryan Harris, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Harmeet Singh Bansal, Manan Vohra, Aniket Choudhary, Mandeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Chitnis, Sunny Singh.

Match facts
Tuesday April 16, 2013 (day/night)
Start time 16:00 local (10:30 GMT)

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Kolkata to Clash with Struggling Punjab

Having slumped to two successive defeats, Kings XI Punjab will be hoping to revive their fortune when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the Pepsi IPL 6 match on Tuesday.

Lacklustre KXIP would be looking to exploit the home conditions against a strong Kolkata outfit, who got back to winning ways, outplaying Sunrisers Hyderabad by 48 runs on Sunday at their home ground.

Kings XI had began their campaign on a winning note against Pune Warriors but had failed to sustain the momentum against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

In fact, in their match against Rajasthan last night, they were handed a royal thrashing with the opposition running away with a comfortable six-wicket win.
The biggest problem for the Adam Gilchrist-led side is that it had failed to utilise its full 20 overs in the last two games.
The team folded in the 20th over against CSK, whereas it lost the plot in the 19th over against formidable the Royals.
For Kings XI to make a contest against KKR, who start as clear favourites at the PCA Stadium on Tuesday, they would need the likes of Gilchrist, David Hussey, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, R Sathish to fire in unison.
David Hussey has been the lone bright spot in KXIP's batting line up and they would expect him to continue his good show.
On the other hand, the Knight Riders are well aware that against a weak opposition they stand a good chance to improve their tally at the league stage and hence, they would everything to go for that kill.
KKR would look to repeat their power-packed batting performance of last night against Hyderabad.
It was a team effort and nothing less than that would satisfy the Knight Riders on Tuesday as well.

Teams from

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Manvinder Bisla (wk), Jacques Kalis, Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, Eoin Morgan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Pradeep Sangwan, Sunil Narine, Laxmipathy Balaji, Brendon McCullum (wk), Brad Haddin (wk), Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachithra Senanayake, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Sarabjit Ladda, Debabrata Das, Iqbal Abdulla, Mohammad Shami Ahmed.

Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (captain & wk), Azhar Mahmood, Luke Pomersbach, David Hussey, David Miller, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Manpreet Gony, Nitin Saini, Parvinder Awana, Paul Valthaty, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Rajagopal Sathish, Ryan Harris, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Harmeet Singh Bansal, Manan Vohra, Aniket Choudhary, Mandeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Chitnis, Sunny Singh.

Match facts
Tuesday April 16, 2013 (day/night)
Start time 16:00 local (10:30 GMT)

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Kolkata Take on Delhi in IPL 6 Opener

Eyeing a repeat of their success last season, Kolkata Knight Riders will open their title defence with a clash against a depleted Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Expectations will be high from the home side as they would aim to become only second team to win back-to-back titles. Only Chennai Super Kings have won consecutive trophies (2010 and 2011).
For Delhi, who are yet to win the title, it would be a season to make amends as they look at life without English swashbuckler Kevin Pietersen who has been ruled out for the entire tournament due to a knee injury.
Delhi will also miss out on explosive Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder who was to begin his $300,000 contract before a brutal assault in a Christchurch bar left him hospitalised.
Last season's Purple cap holder, Morne Morkel (25 wickets), who bowled Titans to a semis place in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in the South Africa domestic cricket, will also miss out on the opener.
And if that was not enough, Virender Sehwag is also a doubtful starter for the tournament-opener as he is down with back spams.
Having recovered from jaundice, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir will be eager to start on a winning note under conditions best suited to them.
Among the foreign recruits, KKR will miss Brendon McCullum, who is down with a hamstring problem, while the recently-married Shakib Al Hasan is yet to report to the side.
West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine, the second leading wicket-taker behind Morkel with 24 scalps, was instrumental in KKR's success last season.
KKR will now hope to unleash another 'mystery' spinner in Lankan offie Sachitra Senanayake in the upcoming season.
Jacques Kallis will lend experience to the middle order, while the home grown players of Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla and Debabrata Das would also come in handy.
Laxmipathy Balaji, who was most economical last season, will add variety to the attack along with the part-timers in Rajat Bhatia and Shukla.
Besides Narine and Senanayake, the team also has Indian left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who though would face competition for a place in the XI.
If the absence of the big names was not enough, the Daredevils would have to deal with the poor form of David Warner and Virender Sehwag as both of them would look to get into their rhythms.
West Indian big hitter Andre Russell will look to play the role of a finisher. Till Morkel joins the side, the pressure would be on the Indian trio of Ashish Nehra, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan.

Teams from

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Debabrata Das, Eoin Morgan, Yusuf Pathan, Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, James Pattinson, Laxmipathy Balaji, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla (wk), Shami Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachitra Senanayake, Sarabjit Ladda, Sunil Narine

Delhi Daredevils: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Virender Sehwag, Andre Russell, Arisht Singhvi, Ashish Nehra, CM Gautam, David Warner, Unmukt Chand, Venugopal Rao, Gulam Bodi, Irfan Pathan, Yogesh Nagar, Jeevan Mendis, Johan Botha, Kedar Jadhav, Manpreet Juneja, Naman Ojha (wk), Pawan Negi, Roelof van-der Morwe, Royston Dias, Siddharth Kaul, Sujit Nayak, Shahbaz Nadeem, Umesh Yadav, Ajit Agarkar.