Kolkata v Deccan, IPL 2010, Kolkata March 31, 2010

Kolkata look to Eden for much-needed revival

Match facts

Thursday, April 1
Start time 20.00 local (14.30 GMT)

Big picture

Defeats in their most recent games have resulted in Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders dropping a place in the points table, to sixth and seventh respectively. They opened this year's tournament at the DY Patil Stadium on March 12, and Deccan will aim to level the score against a team which has blown hot and cold this season.

Deccan are coming off two successive defeats, the cause of both being the disappointing batting. Adam Gilchrist said his team had been inconsistent and that nobody was getting a big enough score. A target of 149 wasn't challenging enough for Rajasthan Royals and Yusuf Pathan, who blitzed 73 off 44 balls to complete a thumping win. Against Mumbai Indians, a Harbhajan Singh blitzkrieg dented their bowling figures and confidence even before they began the chase. Their key players, including Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds, didn't fire and the rest - barring Rohit Sharma - weren't good enough backup options. A win will take them closer to the top four.

Kolkata have performed better than they did last year, but they're still a work in progress. With players of the caliber of Chris Gayle and Angelo Mathews, they have underperformed, as three wins and four losses suggest. There's inconsistency in the batting, like in the case of Manoj Tiwary, who has two fifties and two ducks in six innings. They will need to win at least five of their next seven games to stand a chance of making the semis and, in order to do that, they'll have to find their best combination as soon as possible. Their coach Dav Whatmore said he wants them to win all their remaining home games. They're unpredictable, extremely mediocre in defeat but also capable on their day, like when they choked Punjab.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders LWLLL
Deccan Chargers LLWWW

Team talk

Dav Whatmore, the Kolkata coach, didn't reveal any details of the team composition on the eve of the game. He said Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis would be considered at some stage. He also backed Sourav Ganguly to open and dismissed suggestions that he was struggling.

For Deccan, Gilchrist said the team would decide on VVS Laxman's inclusion later. Monish Mishra replaced him in the previous game but scored only 13. Kemar Roach gave them extra speed, but will they sacrifice him for Chaminda Vaas' accuracy?

Previously…

Kolkata 3 Deccan 2
In their first meeting this year, Kolkata overcame a poor start thanks to Mathews and Owais Shah to post 161. Deccan appeared on course to chase it down but collapsed to lose by 11 runs.

Prime numbers

  • Kolkata have the lowest average runs per over during the Powerplay in this IPL - 7.35. Deccan have the third-highest - 9.08.

  • RP Singh has conceded nine sixes, the joint-highest for a bowler in this IPL.

In the spotlight

Ishant Sharma bowled just one over against Delhi, got pasted for 17 but took a wicket. He is Kolkata's leading wicket-taker at the moment with seven wickets but his economy rate of 9.04 in six games isn't so flattering.

Scores of 1 and 0 have put a lot of pressure on Deccan's captain Gilchrist. He insists that the batting is not just dependent on him, but his twin failures have had an effect on the rest in the last two games.

The chatter

"We won one game chasing. But chasing can sometimes be a little bit tricky with the extra pressure of losing wickets. Yes, we have talked about it. We feel that we have got the team to come up, whether we bat first or second."
Dav Whatmore

"I do not see our match against KKR as a revenge match. Rather, I would term it as a match where we should rectify the mistakes we made in the previous matches."
Adam Gilchrist

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

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