Daijiworld Media Network
Cuttack, May 11: Whilst today's match is an 'away game' for Kolkata, their next assignment, also at Cuttack will suddenly turn into a 'home game'. It does not ring a bell to me. Anyways, toss, teams and much more coming at you in a brief while.
While the M&M show has hogged all the limelight, the bowlers, led by Sandeep Sharma have been right on the money. Young Shivam Sharma was also impressive on his T20 League debut, teasing Yuvraj with lovely flight and loop. The last time these two sides met in this season it was the bowlers who called the shots. Is a different script awaiting us today?
Gambhir and Uthappa broke Kolkata's 4-match losing streak with a facile win against Delhi but since then Hyderabad have risen to snatch the fourth place. Meanwhile, Punjab have parked themselves at the top of the table. As has been the norm in this season of the Indian T20 League all eyes will be on Maxwell and Miller.
Kolkata have won the toss and have opted to field
Teams:
Punjab (Playing XI): Virender Sehwag, Mandeep Singh, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Akshar Patel, Mitchell Johnson, Rishi Dhawan, Parvinder Awana, Sandeep Sharma
Kolkata (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(w), Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ryan ten Doeschate, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav
Bailey: 'I never like to guess par scores. It was a beautiful batting wicket the other night. It is a tough ground to defend. We have two changes with Awana and Dhawan coming in. On this ground this is the best XI. As Gautam said, we have to be consistent and do well in all three disciplines.'
Gambhir: ' We are going to bowl. Hopefully, we restrict them and chase it down. It looks a good wicket. We have to start well with the ball. Things happen in T20. It is an unpredictable format. They way we played in Delhi shows us how skilled we are. My performances do not matter if I don't take the team past the line. They (Punjab) are a quality side. We have to do well in all three departments. Morne comes in for Shakib and Piyush comes in Vinay.'
Match Preview
Kolkata, who been blowing hot and cold in this tournament, will look to challenge the seemingly unstoppable Punjab when the two sides clash in an Indian T20 League match in Cuttack. The last time the two sides faced off, it turned out to be a low-scoring affair but even in that Punjab came out trumps after doing the job well with the ball. KOL will be eager to turn the tables against the leading team of this Indian T20 League and improve their position.
Punjab:
Given the sparkling form Glenn Maxwell and David Miller are in, KOL's bowlers are likely to be put to the sword in the game at the Barabati stadium. On paper, it looks a lop-sided contest given that Punjab have a batting line-up, which has been in marauding form. If Maxwell and Miller were not a big enough headache to deal with for rival teams, out-of-form veteran Virender Sehwag is also slowly rediscovering his touch. Mandeep Singh will be eager to come up with a substantial contribution while skipper George Bailey, who showcased his capabilities with the bat against Chennai, can do a lot of damage as well.
While PUN will be be relying on their in-form batsmen to come good again, the bowlers aren't too far behind either. Pacer Sandeep Sharma has been in consistent form and is currently third in the list of top wicket-takers this season after scalping 13 in six matches. After a slow start, Australian import Mitchell Johnson has been amongst the wickets while Balaji, apart from the previous game, has done a good job. Spinner Akshar Patel has impressed as did young Shivam Sharma, who came up with a fine spell against Bangalore. Punjab will be hoping that the bowlers continue their good showing.
Kolkata:
KOL have been very inconsistent, although the win over Delhi in their previous match has come as a morale-booster for the team. For once, Kolkata's batting clicked with skipper Gautam Gambhir, who had been facing a barrage of criticism for poor form, leading the way with a half-century. Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey also did their bit to take KOL to an elusive win over Delhi and they would be keen to carry that form into the match against Punjab. Jacques Kallis is due for runs and Kolkata will be hoping that he comes to the party.
On the bowling front, the Kolkata can draw some confidence form the fact that they managed to restrict Punjab's marauding batsmen the last time these two teams clashed. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine would once again be their trump card while Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan will have a key role to play as well. Narine went for a few runs against Delhi and he will be eager to make amends while Vinay Kumar and Kallis too will be keen to do the same, having conceded quite a few in their last game.
Quotes:
When it comes to Maxwell, it is a nightmare to bowl to him. I don't ever understand where to bowl to him. He will hit you anywhere: Shivam Sharma on bowling to Glenn Maxwell in the nets.
We have been playing good cricket for about 30-35 overs of the game, and then for a few overs, we don't play up to the mark and that's enough to take the game away from us: Robin Uthappa, when asked why KOL have not quite fired.