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.

Super over better than Bowl Out

To broaden the excitement in t20 cricket, the Super overs rule has been introduced. Though test and ODI match can end up in draw, super over prevents twenty20 matches from ending in draw. It has replaced the bowl out rule in which only the bowler had a part to play.

Rules of super over in 20-20 cricket:
1. Each team decides a bowler to bowl and three batsmen to bad during one over named as the super over. The same ball used in the match will be used in super over.
2. The team batting second in the match will bat first in the super over.
3. Team A will score some runs in the first over and team B needs to chase it successfully to win the match. In case, it is unable to chase, team A wins.
3. In case scores are level, the team hitting maximum sixes in the match will win. If its also same, the teams with maximum fours win the match.

It has been brought to twenty20 cricket from Standford twenty20. The first international twenty20 in which tie was ended with a super over was New Zealand vs West Indies. In IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight riders, this rule as implemented after with Rajasthan won Kolkata.

Happy Birthday to Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar turns 36 today. The master batsman has scaled every summit in the game - except for one. He has not yet been part of a World Cup winning team. But come 2011, the master blaster is all set to change that, when the World Cup is held on the subcontinent.

When asked at a recent function what his dreams were, he laughed off the question saying, "You only dream when you are asleep." But then he added, "I want to win the World Cup for India."

The captain of the Mumbai Indians got a surprise from his team when he found that they had organized a surprise birthday party at the team hotel.

Speaking to reporters, the always humble Sachin said, "It is the good wishes and blessings that count a lot. My family is joining me tomorrow, so am really looking forward to it."

Match Preview : Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab

Preview by Saurabh Somani
Ground Reality and Pitch:
After a gloomy start, Durban has at last seen the rains keep away. With the sun coming out, conditions for batting have improved, although with a night match, bowlers won't be completely out of the equation. The previous matches showed that those who have batting depth and power could post good totals, while those who didn't, struggled.
Team News:
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Their early form seems to have deserted them, with only one thing being constant - Rahul Dravid is rolling back the years, and batting like a dream. Their star signings - Pietersen, Ryder and Taylor - have not done anything of note, and unless they fire, it will be hard for Bangalore to post or chase a decent total. On paper, their bowling attack is a good one, but as Gilchrist showed, reputations on paper count for nothing, once a good batsman gets going.

King's Eleven Punjab: They have looked like the weakest team in the tournament, and with good reason. A depleted bowling attack and a batting lineup that hasn't fired, are the main problems that the Mohali team faces. Yuvraj Singh has not looked the part of a leader, seeming bereft of ideas. Although he has a seriously weakened team, the format of Twenty20 is such that 4-5 good overs can change the game, and the King's Eleven have the players with the ability to do that. Now if only the ability translates into performance!
Players to Watch:
Rahul Dravid - Has been in prime form, since the New Zealand tour. Nobody expected him to be the mainstay of the batting for Bangalore, but that's exactly what he's been. Looks determined to prove his critics wrong, and is doing a darn good job of it.
Yuvraj Singh - Has to realize that looking good while batting is not enough, and translate his form into big runs for his side. With the team in trouble, the leader has to show the way. This is as good a chance as any for Yuvraj to show the world that he has the mental toughness that everyone believes he lacks.
Read More