Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight Rider : Match Preview

Ground Reality and Pitch:
On a day when rain is foreseen, the 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals battle the Kolkata Knight Riders at Newlands which is also known to be the Lord's of South Africa. This is the home town of the Cape Cobras, who defeated the Rajasthan Royals in the warm-up match.
The pitch, over the past few games, has largely assisted the bowlers. Spinners like Warne, Kumble, Vettori and Ojha have played major roles in leading their teams to victories. Once again, batsmen have to play diligently and cut down the lavish strokes.
Team News:
Rajasthan Royals: After a humiliating defeat in the first match against Bangalore and the second match against Mumbai being rained out, the Royals would look for a turnaround of fortunes. Although they have been good in the bowling department, the batsmen have not come to the party when required. Shane Warne would look at Rajasthan's key batsmen like Smith, Asnodkar and Pathan to fire in the match against Kolkata.
Kolkata: The Knight Riders have been in the news for all sorts of reasons. Starting with John Buchanan's 'Multiple-Captain' theory, their loss against Hyderabad in the first match and the recent blogs by an alleged Knight Riders player, Kolkata never seemed to have things under control. However, the victory against the Punjab team would boost the confidence of the players. Banking on their big players to perform, Kolkata would look to extend their IPL victories.
Due for runs:
Sourav Ganguly: After two batting failures, the former India captain is due to showcase his batting prowess at South Africa. Although he has come good with the ball, Kolkata would expect their 'Prince' to hit form and get to watch the beautiful cover drives flow freely from his bat.
Graeme Smith: The South African captain has not been in his best during the recent times. Being a member of the Cape Cobras in the past, the conditions at Newlands would not be something new to Smith. With a South African crowd to cheer for him, this exciting left-hander would hope to be amongst the runs in the IPL.
Numbers Game:
3:2 - Ratio of IPL 2009 wins at Newlands for the teams batting first over the teams batting second.
16 - The number of wickets taken by spinners in the 5 IPL matches played at Newlands.
Sound Bytes:
Whatever they throw at us, we at Kolkata Knight Riders will be ready for them - Chris Gayle on facing Rajasthan
We were exceptional in our bowling and fielding, but our batsmen could not do well - Warne on the loss to Bangalore
Trivia:
The Kolkata Knight Riders have never won a match against the Rajasthan team.

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