RCB start as firm favourites against Kochi Tuskers Kerala

KOCHI: Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) will be aiming for a dream debut when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening match of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

For the Kochi fans, it will be a momentous occasion as their only association with big time cricket has been the odd ODIs involving India. The Kerala Ranji Trophy team never delivered at the domestic level save producing a couple of Test players like S Sreesanth and Tinu Yohanan.

If the debutants under the stewardship of Mahela Jayawardene can upset the Daniel Vettori-led RCB at home, the interest and popularity of the team among the locals will skyrocket. Also it will be a shot in the arm for the owners as the franchise was mired in various controversies in the lead up to the event.

On paper, RCB top-order that boasts of names like AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and the very talented Saurabh Tiwary can murder any opposition on a given day. The quartet is one of the best among 10 teams and it will be a real test for Kochi bowlers to restrict this line-up for a modest score.

With Dilshan likely to open the batting, one can expect a lot of entertainment from the dashing Lankan. The fans may not have got their share of 'Dilscoop' during the World up but in the shortest version, Dilshan can be expected to line himself up for that overhead shot.

De Villiers is another player who can rip apart in any bowling. Not to forget Kohli who is fresh from his World Cup triumph and would be itching to show one and all as to why Vijay Mallya's team decided to retain him.

Not to forget Saurabh Tiwary who got more than a million dollar deal during the auctions. Tiwary whose towering sixes were a hit with the Mumbai Indian fans during the last edition would hope that gets into the groove for RCB straightaway.

When it comes to batting, Kochi may face a few problems as they don't have a good Indian batsman in their line-up.

Apart from Parthiv Patel who is an effective T20 player, there aren't any big Indian names. VVS Laxman is not likely to make much of a difference in this format.

A lot will depend on how many times skipper Jayawardene and New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum fire. McCullum who will forever be remembered for his unbeaten 73-ball-158 during the first edition hasn't really fired after that knock.

Sri Lankan Thisara Perera has been one of the better buys by Kochi as his all-round abilities are in sync with the demands of Twenty20 cricket. It was his little cameo in the final overs that helped Lanka post a challenging total against India in the World Cup final.

When it comes to bowling, the two teams are on even keel. If RCB have a top quality seamer in Zaheer Khan and the best left-arm spinner in the world in skipper Vettori, Kochi will have the wily old Muttiah Muralitharan trying to pull a trick or two out of his bag.

Murali will be ably supported by R P Singh who has been out of national reckoning for the past couple of years. With India's tours of West Indies and England coming up, the likes of R P, Vinay Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja will be eager to prove themselves.

Likely Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Daniel Vettori (capt), TM Dilshan, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohammed Kaif, CM Gautham (wk), Zaheer Khan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Dirk Nannes, Ryan Ninnan/Abrar Kazi

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel (wk), VVS Laxman, Owais Shah/Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja, Thisara Perera, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ramesh Powar, R Vinay Kumar, Muttiah Muralitharan.

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Chargers hope to improve record against Royals

HYDERABAD: The last time Rajasthan Royals played in Hyderabad, they changed the game on its head in the final over as Andrew Symonds turned hero to villain in a trice, his blazing century lost in the maze of his mate Shane Warne's lusty hits.

Much water has flowed under the bridge since. Royals went on to claim top honours followed by Deccan Chargers in IPL 2. Symonds has moved on to a new franchise but Royals have cashed in on the confidence from that improbable first win and have the wood on Chargers, having won five of their six encounters in three editions.

There has been so much of change in personnel - Chargers let go of all their overseas recruits from first three editions - going into IPL 4, and their poor record at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium makes it imperative that the hosts hit the ground running in the day game of Saturday's double header.

With Warne in the opposition, the challenge only becomes formidable. In the words of Delhi Daredevil turned Charger Amit Mishra, "Warne is a legend. It is so good to watch him in action and I'll definitely try and talk to him whenever I get time."

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IPL 4: Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 runs

CHENNAI: The Indian Premier League is alive and kicking.


Any doubts about its success in the post World Cup scenario was put to rest on Day 1 of the fourth edition. All the elements of drama that has made the IPL the biggest form of entertainment during Indian summer was there as Chennai Super Kings eked out a two-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Manoj Tiwary (27) had brought KKR back with a couple of sixes in the 19th over chasing 154 but once Suraj Randiv removed him in the same over, KKR needed nine off the last. Tim Southee bowled full and straight in the last over and despite the desperate efforts of SRK's boys, Dhoni & Co got off to a winning start.

KKR, at one point seemed to be cruising with 93/1 off 12 overs with Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan well entrenched. But a moment of magic from CSK skipper Dhoni turned things around.

Kallis played one towards square leg and ran for a single. Dhoni saw the chance, chased the ball like a hungry leopard, picked it up and threw down the stumps at the batsman's end leaving Yusuf a few inches short. KKR, chasing 154, lost the plot and wickets tumbled in a heap.

The moment Yusuf got out, Dhoni got his two best bowlers, offie Randiv and R Ashwin into action. Both brought all their skill into play, using subtle variations of flight and Kallis (54), who looked in complete control till then, failed to keep a sweep down off Ashwin and gave a catch to short fine-leg.

KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, quite inexplicably, held himself back till No. 6, and once he got out following a mix-up with Tiwary, things started going downhill for KKR. Yet, Tiwary did his best, but he too, lost his head and SRK had to digest the bitter pill of defeat once again.

Earlier, KKR fielders missed three easy catches which let CSK off the hook.

The defending champions had just started when Anirudh Srikkanth (64 off 55 balls) offered a dolly to Yusuf Pathan off his own bowling. The all-rounder failed to latch on the offering and the batsman made the most of it. His effort was the backbone of the CSK innings after M Vijay was dismissed early by left-armer Iqbal Abdullah.

The next drop occurred a couple of overs later, with Pathan being the culprit again.

Gambhir had just brought in L Balaji and Suresh Raina, just settling in the crease, mistimed a pull to offer Pathan a chance at mid-off. The second highest-paid player of IPL 4 jumped in the air, got his hands to it, only to floor it again to give Raina a second chance. That helped Raina stitch a 75-run partnership with Srikkanth in nine overs to set the platform up for the rest of the CSK batsmen.

However, the ball before Raina got out, Srikkanth had offered another simple chance to Eoin Morgan, Pathan being the bowler on this occasion, but the England player dropped him at deep midwicket.

Given two lives, Srikkanth settled in nicely, played a few crisp shots and kept the scoreboard ticking. And when skipper MS Dhoni joined in, things really started to roll for CSK. The skipper, still on a high after his brilliant innings in the IPL final, waited for the right moment to launch a brutal assault. He singled out leg spinner Sarabjit Ladda and hit a couple of huge sixes in the 15th over and CSK were up and running.

And by the end of it, MSD's all-round effort made the day for the CSK fans.

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Bangladesh win toss, field first against Australia

DHAKA: Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to field first against Australia on Saturday in their first match of a three-game one-day international series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.


Both sides are meeting in their first international encounter after disappointing World Cup campaigns.

Australia, three-time World Cup champions, was knocked out in the World Cup quarterfinals two weeks ago for its worst tournament result in 19 years.

Bangladesh failed to get out of the group stage after suffering humiliating defeats against the West Indies and South Africa.

Ricky Ponting resigned as test and ODI skipper after nine years of reign following the World Cup and agreed to continue to play under new captain Michael Clarke.

Bangladesh drafted in fast bowler Mashrafe bin Mortaza, who missed the World Cup due to a knee injury.

Teams:

Australia: Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Mike Hussey, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings, Brett Lee, Xavier Doherty.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Roqibul Hassan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Sohrawardy Shuvo, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam.

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