KKR in momentum, to go for big kill as Perth look for a perch
Having won 11 matches on a trot, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be aiming to keep their juggernaut rolling as they meet Perth Scorchers in their third group league match of the Oppo Champions league T20 today.
The reigning IPl champions have been on a roll beating the formidable Chennai Super Kings and the lahore lions in their first two group league games. The Kolkata Knight Riders have done well in all departments with noted top and middle-order batsmen among runs. Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa came good in the last match against lahore lions while Andre Russell and Ryan ten Doeschate won it from an improbable position in the first match against the CSK.
The bowling attack as usual has been led by Sunil Narine, who has been miserly and effective in both matches. The Scorchers may not be mere pushovers for KKR though Mitchell Marsh showed with two successive sixes in the last match against the Dolphins.
Needing 12 off the last two deliveries, Marsh dispatched seamer Robbie Frylinck over deep mid-wicket and long-on to successfully chase down a target of 165 set up by the Dophins.
The Scorchers will have a bit of experience in their line-up as seasoned chinaman bowler Brad Hogg and Pakistani T20 freelance Yasir Arafat in their ranks. Some of their players Sam Whiteman, Joel Paris, Jason Behrendorff with the ball have fared well for the team in the clash with Dolphins.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling coach Wasim Akram said that captain Gautam Gambhir's leadership and the team bonding is responsible for its success in the IPl and the ongoing Oppo Champions league T20.
“The credit for the success of any team goes to the captain first, the way he has led the troops in IPl and here (ClT20); best thing about KKR is, it is like a family, including the manager, including the staff as well.
“We enjoy each other's company; this is the sign of any good team. We support each other. The foreign players have also become a part of the team. Those who could not come due to injuries like Morne Morkel...There is a group formed on WhatsApp, they send messages like congratulations after the match,” he told reporters ahead of tomorrow's match against Perth Scorchers here.
Though KKR have won the two matches it has played so far in the tournament, it would like to give their best shot without taking the Australian side likely, he said.
“Every game is important, although we have won two out of two, nobody knows who qualifies or not. From our end, we would like to do well in every game to be on top of our group but the opposition tomorrow is also a very good side…the champions of Australia they have three spinners. The spinners are more handy so far in this Champions league than the fast bowlers,” Akram said.
Replying to a query, Akram said the pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad is one of the best he has seen in India.
“I reckon this is the best square I have seen in India so far. Definitely one of the best squares I have seen in India, there is a grass as well on the pitch. It is more like an Australian sort of pitch,” he said. After Kolkata, Akram said, Hyderabad has become a home away from home for the team with the spectators coming out in great support to the team.
The teams
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (C ), Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate, Pat Cummins, Andre Russel and Manvinder Bisla.
Perth Scorchers: Adam Voges, Ashton Agar, Yasir Arafat, Michael Beer, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brad Hogg, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh, Joel Paris, Craig Simmons, Ashton Turner and Sam Whiteman.