Match Preview of Kings XI Punjab & Rajasthan Royals

Ground Reality and pitch:
Following a rain dominated day, Newlands plays host to another T20 day-nighter of the Indian Premier League. After the Chennai-Kolkata match was abandoned due to rain, cricket fans would hope for clear skies when The Kings XI Punjab face the mighty Rajasthan Royals.
Having rained all day on Saturday, the moisture in the pitch would provide assistance for the seamers. However, the recent games played here have also seen the batsmen scoring well, getting their teams to totals in excess of 150. A interesting contest between bat and ball is in store at the Newlands.
Team Updates:
Kings XI Punjab: Beaming with confidence after their first victory against Bangalore, the Punjab team would look to extend their good form when they face Rajasthan. A line-up without the top performer of 2008 - Shaun Marsh and the lightning fast Brett Lee, Punjab would hope for the in-form Bopara to fire again while banking on the likes of Sangakkara and Jayawardene to be amongst runs when battling Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Royals: Upbeat about their 'Super Over' performance and their ability to maintain cool in the death, Rajasthan would look at more wins in their kitty to reestablish their position as champions. Though the batsmen and bowlers of Rajasthan have not had great starts in the recent matches, The 'Spin Wizard' Warne's confidence in the team's young blood paid off when Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan pulled off a victory from the brink of defeat. More performances such as these would take Rajasthan to the top half of the points table.
Contests to watch:
Pathan vs. Pathan: The brothers from Baroda would draw swords against each other in today's match, much to the delight of the Newlands crowd. While the older Pathan, Yusuf is carrying the tag of a 'Super Over Hero' to the match, Irfan's three wicket haul against Bangalore helps him match up to his brother. The allround skills of both brothers would be put to test when they face-off at the 'Lords' of South Africa.
Yuvraj vs Warne: After a spate of failures with the bat, Yuvraj hit form at the right time. Having scored the winning runs against Bangalore, Yuvraj would hope for another successful stint with the bat. However, he has to excercise extra caution while facing the 'King of Spin'. Meanwhile, the wily Warne would have his numerous tricks up his sleeve while bowling to Yuvraj, who is known to be an average player of spin.
Numbers Game:
100: The six hit by Yuvraj against Bangalore took the IPL tally of sixers to 100.
18: The number of runs hit by Yusuf Pathan during the 'Super Over'
Sound Bytes:
The first 'Super Over' had to happen to spice up the tournament - Warne commenting on the 'Super Over'.
We decided not to lose a wicket to Kumble so it was just a question of slamming it at the end - Bopara after winning the man of the match.

Hilarious Interview with Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon"

In a world far far away.

Interviewer: Today we have an exclusive. An interview with the universe - famous coach of the Kol-Kanta Kite Riders "Johnnie Pukanon" and the owner of the team known simply as "The Bad Shah". Also sitting nearby is the Kite Rider's associate coach Mr. Pukanon (Junior), the Kite Rider's assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's friend), the associate assistant coach (Mr. Pukanon's cousin thrice removed ) and mm...this other gentleman here whose name I didn't quite catch.

Mr. Pukanon (coach) [turns towards interviewer]: Frankly, I have no idea as to who that guy is.

The Bad Shah: [Hushed whisper] What do you mean you do not know who that guy is? I have been paying him $500,000 for the last two seasons. I always thought he was someone from your side of the baraat.

Mr. P: [Ignoring the Bad Shah]: Yes

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Match Preview of Bangalore Royal Challenger vs Delhi Daredevils'

Ryder has surprisingly been left out while Praveen Kumar who had sprained his ankle in the last game also has been dropped.

Bangalore Royal Challengers (Playing XI): Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen(c), Virat Kohli, Balachandra Akhil, Mark Boucher(w), Vinay Kumar, Pankaj Singh, KP Appanna, Anil Kumble

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag(c), Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mithun Manhas, Dinesh Karthik(w), Daniel Vettori, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes, Amit Mishra

Rahul Dravid will not be playing today. He has returned home on paternity leave as his wife is expecting their second child. Its unlikely that he should return to the tournament.

Team changes: Bangalore have made three changes. Akhil, Appanna and Mark Boucher come in to the side. While Delhi have left out Tiwary and Salvi, Mithun Manhas and Amit Mishra come in.

Bangalore Royal Challengers have won the toss and decided to bat first
Pitch: Danny Morrison and Kepler Wessels think it is one of the best surfaces in the whole tournament so far. Should be a run feast. So expect loads of entertainment.

The Conditions
Port Elizabeth has hosted only one match so far in the tournament, and that was won comprehensively by Chennai when they thrashed a hapless Bangalore.
The pitch might have some assistance for the bowlers, but only at the start. As the day progresses, expect it to ease out.
The captain who wins the toss would probably look to bat first.

Match Preview of Chennai Superkings & Kolkata Knight Riders

Preview by Gokul Gopal
After a scintillating double header on Thursday in which Delhi and Rajasthan emerged victorious, the losing sides Chennai and Kolkata would battle it out in a day-nighter at Newlands, Cape Town.
The Newlands pich seemed to have eased out after the intial assistance for the bowlers during the earlier matches. With both the teams packed with powerful batsmen, a run feast may be in store for the day.
Team Updates:
Chennai Superkings: Despite their losses, the Chennai team seem to be in good form. While their batters have been amongst the runs, their bowlers seem to have lost the edge. MS Dhoni would look at the bowlers to hit form and be amongst the wickets. After Flintoff's return home, Chennai team would bank on the bulky Matthew Hayden to fire again with the batting and hope for the Sri Lankan Maestro Muralitharan to unleash his bag of tricks with the ball.
Kolkata Knight Riders: "So close yet so far." After coming very close to a victory, the Kolkata team blew it away, by taking the game to a 'Super Over'. However, they would look to put that aside when they take on Chennai. Throughout the tournament the bowlers and batters of the Kolkata team have been good, but only in patches. With Ganguly coming to the party and Gayle looking in good form, the Kolkata team would hope for both the bowling and their batting to fire in the match against the Superkings.
Contests to watch:
Hayden vs. Ishant: Both have seen and played against each other on numerous occasions. While the fast bowler has broken through the defences of Hayden in the recent past, he also has given away runs to the explosive batsman. An interesting contest is in store when the mighty Hayden faces the tall and furious Ishant Sharma.
Gayle vs. Ntini: While Gayle seems to be in good form, he has his work cut-out when he faces the South African 'Storm' called Makhaya Ntini. Though he has not played a game in this season of IPL, Ntini is expected to feature in the match against Kolkata due to Flintoff's exit. Gayle's lightning blade against Ntini's lethal pace would be a treat for the spectators.
Numbers game:
34 - The number of runs required by Hayden to bring up his 200 in the IPL 2009.
4 - The number of catches taken by Flintoff during the second season of IPL.
9 - The number of sixers hit by Chris Gayle in the IPL 2009.
Trivia:
Suresh Raina holds the record for the most catches in IPL 2008 with 10 catches.
Albie Morkel holds the record for hitting the biggest six in the DLF Indian Premier League - 128 metres.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla was the bowler with the best strike rate in IPL 2008 when he picked 3 wickets off just 5 balls against Delhi.