KKR vs RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore lose Pujara, Kohli after slow start

NEW DELHI: After opting to bowl first, Kolkata seemed to dominate the proceeding as Suchitra Senanayake and Jacques Kallis dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli early in their IPL 6 match at JSCA Stadium Complex in Ranchi. 

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Kolkata got their first breakthrough when Senanayake dismissed Pujara (5) who was caught at cover point by Laxmipathy Balaji after Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and decided to bowl. 

Soon after, Bangalore skipper Kohli (17) too failed to make an impression when he had his stumps knocked over after getting an inside edge off the bowling of Kallis. 

The Knight Riders have made two changes for this match with Senanayake and Debabrata Das replacing Eoin Morgan and Iqbal Abdulla. 

On the other hand, the Royal Challengers bring in Abhimanyu Mithun for Syed Mohammad. 

The Knight Riders will be eyeing revenge in their match against the Royal Challengers in Ranchi's first IPL game at the Jharkhand Cricket Association's International stadium. 

It is exactly a month since the two teams clashed in Bangalore where Chris Gayle blew away KKR with a 50-ball 85 that was laced with nine sixes. 

Riding on Gayle's brilliance and some other notable performers, RCB are among the top-four in the points table while KKR are languishing in the bottom half. 

Both teams will go into the match high on confidence winning their last games. While KKR comprehensively beat a hapless Pune Warriors, RCB pulled off a thriller against the Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

We Still Have a Fair Chance: Gambhir

Gambhir

RANCHI: His team is virtually out of the playoffs race having lost eight of their 13 matches, but an optimistic Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir on Saturday said they still have a "fair chance" of making the cut in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

"At the moment, the competition is pretty open. We still have a fair chance of reaching the playoffs. For me what matters is the remaining three games and we face RCB on Sunday, which is a must-win game for us. Hopefully, we can try and deliver," Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the match.

The Virat Kohli-led RCB are coming off a win against Delhi Daredevils and asked how KKR plan to counter the likes of Chris Gayle, Kohli and AB de Villiers, Gambhir said, "We do not strategise against individuals.

"We do not discuss individuals; we will only look to do what we do best and stick to our strength."

The KKR captain is also pinning his hopes on Sunil Narine to counter the strong RCB.

"We have played on this track, a spinning one and can benefit Sunil Narine," he said.

Talking about his side's bowling attack, he said, "KKR is not dependent only on its spin bowlers. If you see in the tournament, Jacques Kallis and L Balaji too have done well for us, which are great signs for us.

"Spinners have been successful for us, they have been different, and they have not been conventional spinners. Our bowling unit on the whole has been good."

Gambhir said his team would look to win its remaining three matches. Kolkata have to their credit 10 points from thirteen games.

"We are looking forward to win all the three matches. Be it any situation, we as a team enter the ground thinking about a victory. We do not play to participate. We will look to play some good cricket and get a win."

The city will also host the KKR versus Pune Warriors match on May 15.

IPL not my comeback platform: Gautam Gambhir

                     Even before taking guard in IPL-6,Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhirwent on the offensive, rubbishing talk that the Twenty20 league was a platform for the axed Team India opener to push for a comeback in the national team.

"I don't play here as an individual, but for a team called KKR. I am a part of a team which are the defending champions... I don't see IPL as my comeback platform," Gambhir said on Tuesday, the eve of KKR's opening encounter against Delhi Daredevils at Eden Gardens.

The skipper doesn't think there will be extra pressure on the side for being defending champions.

"Being defending champions doesn't mean pressure (on the team), rather it gives you more confidence. We have got the monkey off the back because in the previous four years it was said that KKR were more popular off the field, but after winning the championship, we have proved that we can play good cricket as well," he reasoned. Looking ahead to the sixth edition of the tournament, Gambhir felt the confidence gained from IPL-5 will help the team "play some fearless cricket this time."

The skipper was not ready to talk about any particular individual, but saw the team as a unit. New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum's absence in the first match, thus, doesn't worry him. "We've got a lot of quality in the dressing room to fill in any gap. Now is the time to go out there and step up to the opportunity." Asked about Yusuf Pathan's poor run last season, Gambhir said, "Everyone has to fire, not only he."

The skipper is aware that his trump card, West Indian 'mystery' spinner Sunil Narine, has to be used judiciously. "It's all about strategy and deciding when is the right time to bring on someone. And it's not only about Narine, bowlers like Jacques Kallis and Balaji are all ready for the challenge," Gambhir said.

IPL OPENING CEREMONY PICS

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Pepsi IPL 2013 begins with a starry, starry night

A grand and glittering opening ceremony heralded the start of the Pepsi IPL 2013 in style at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. The venue resembled a star-studded galaxy with embellished lightings, the world’s cricket stars and performing entertainers. 

Renowned artists from the entertainment industry, the likes of international rapper Pitbull and Bollywood actor and co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, along with Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone owned the stage and held sway over the packed audience. Besides the celebrities performing, the stage was also set on fire by flying drummers, Chinese percussionists and breathtaking fireworks.

Amid all the glitz and glamour cricket held its limelight in a suave and dignified way. The captains of the nine teams participating in IPL 2013 took centre stage when they joined hands to pledge adherence to the belief, ‘Play hard, Play fair’ by signing on the MCC Spirit of Cricket board. Former India cricketer and current commentator, Ravi Shastri administered the oath.

The moment that surprised and stunned close to 45,000 people present at the stadium came just before the captains signed the MCC Spirit of Cricket oath. A girl clad in white appeared over the arena, swinging a bunch of colourful balloons, carrying the Pepsi IPL 2013 Trophy. She stopped at the centre and handed over the trophy to the captain of the current holders, Gautam Gambhir.

Salt Lake Stadium, one of the biggest football arenas in Asia, was packed and alive with the noise of passionate fans. The people of Kolkata reserved the loudest cheers for their adopted son and captain of KKR, Gautam Gambhir and team owner, SRK.

The Bollywood superstar began his performance by thanking the West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Bannerjee, BCCI President, N Srinivasan, IPL Chairman, Rajeev Shukla and IPL COO, Sundar Raman for their presence at the event.

He then set the arena on a foot-tapping mode by dancing to a few hit numbers from his movies. He also displayed some of his moves to the tune of well known Bengal musicians, Bappi Lahiri and Usha Uthup.

The last performance of the day was from Pitbull, who engaged the crowd and started a party. The Pitbull show lasted well into the evening after the Opening Nite was over.

Those who attended the event, it was an evening that culminated with tired feet, sore throats and memories of an unforgettable time at Salt Lake Stadium! 

Was a dream tournament for me: Narine

Sunil Narine came into IPL 2012 as a mystery. At the end of it, he remains so to most batsmen in the world. An enigma from the Caribbean, Narine was spotted in the 2011 CLT20 when he bamboozled many a batsman with his knuckle ball. The Kolkata Knight Riders bid high on him at the 2012 IPL Players’ Auction; and as it turned out, it was the wisest USD 700,000 spent this year by any IPL team.

The off-spinner from Trinidad & Tobago weaved his magic in IPL 2012 with 24 wickets – one less than Purple Cap winner, Morne Morkel. With an economy rate of 5.47, Narine now tops the list of the stingiest bowlers in the five-year-old tournament.

Although he failed to pick a wicket in the final and win the Purple Cap, Narine cherished making a vital contribution to the Knight Riders maiden title win. The soft-spoken offie spoke to iplt20.comafter KKR’s victory in the final against the Chennai Super Kings.

Is it a dream tournament for you?

Yeah, it is a dream tournament, and the way the guys performed today was magnificent.

Are you happy with your efforts?

I am happy with my effort, and all the 16-17 players have given a huge effort.

What was the talk in the dressing room ahead of this final?

Guys were keen for it and up for it. So, I think it was a great team effort in doing that.

How is Gautam Gambhir as a captain?

He does not put any pressure on the players. He let the guys do what they are accustomed to. If a batsman is attacking by nature, he can hit the ball, no matter what the situation is. He is a good captain and all he asks for is go there and give your best.

What was going in your mind when there were 190 runs to chase?

It was a bit challenging, but we had the batsmen in the hunt to do that; and they did it.

Cracker on cards after sizzling night

What

After all the razzmatazz of the opening ceremony, it is time for fireworks on the field. It is the opening game of the Pepsi IPL 2013 and features defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils.

The Knight Riders were a daunting outfit under Gautam Gambhir last season, besting then defending champions Chennai Super Kings, who were favourites, in their own backyard in the title clash. They begin this season as firm favourites, given the fact that they have retained the core of the team that did duty for them last season.

The Delhi Daredevils on the other hand have been among the consistent performers in the history of the IPL, finishing in the top four in three off the five seasons that have been played out. They will be hoping to put in that extra bit to get above and will certainly look to lay their hands on the beautiful trophy at the end of the competition.

When

Wednesday, March 3, 2013, 8 p.m

Where

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

The Protagonists

For Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, there is more at stake than just helping their teams win the IPL. Both players, who combined together to form India’s most successful opening pair (in terms of runs), will want to prove to themselves and to the men who matter that there is still a lot of cricket left in them. Gautam Gambhir led by example in his team’s run-up to the title last season and he will be keen for a repeat of that performance.

Virender Sehwag, recovering from back spasms, will be playing without the burden of captaincy and he will want to get back to being the devastating batsman the world knows him to be.

There are several other players to look out for. In the Delhi Daredevils line-up, look out for the young Unmukt Chand who recently scored consecutive centuries in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition and also Umesh Yadav who announced his return to competitive cricket with a five-wicket haul in the same tournament.

In the Knight Riders line-up, keep your eyes trained on the ever-reliable Jacques Kallis and the dangerous Yusuf Pathan. Kallis, who has looked rusty recently, will want to hit the straps immediately while Yusuf Pathan will want to add consistency to his game in addition to carrying the reputation of being a match-winner.

Previous Meetings

The Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils have so far met on nine occasions, with the former having a slight edge with five wins. In the last battle between the two, it was the Knight Riders who get the better of the Daredevils in the Play-Off match in IPL 2012.

Trivia

The Kolkata Knight Riders will be keen to improve on their home record from last season. Gambhir’s team won nine of their ten away fixtures in 2012, but only managed to win three off the seven matches in their backyard.

David Warner will have fond memories of playing against the Kolkata Knight Riders, for it was against them that he scored his maiden IPL century.

What Next

Both teams will square off against the Rajasthan Royals in their next fixtures. The Delhi Daredevils will play host to Rahul Dravid’s team on April 6 while the Kolkata Knight Riders will line-up against the Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 8.