Daijiworld Media Network
Kolkatta, May 28 : Alright, here we are just an hour away from the start of the first Qualifier between Punjab and Kolkata. Yesterday, rain played spoilsport and the game had to be postponed. But today, the weather gods appear to be pleased and it is bright and sunny. Sundar Raman had tweeted just a little while ago: Covers off. Sun out. Eden ready. Game on am told.
Punjab have won the toss and have opted to field
Teams:
Punjab (Playing XI): Manan Vohra, Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Akshar Patel, Mitchell Johnson, Rishi Dhawan, Karanveer Singh, Parvinder Awana
Kolkata (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir(c), Robin Uthappa(w), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav
Gambhir: 'The pressure is equal on both the sides. The side that is calm and composed will win the contest. We always knew that we had the talent and it's just a matter of clicking together. Hopefully we can try and bat well and then defend the score later on. Looks a very good wicket for both batsmen and the bowlers. We've got Piyush in place of Vinay.'
Bailey: 'I think the delay is good as the weather has cleared up and now we can play a full game. Temperament is vital at this stage of the tournament. We are going to bowl. The wicket has been under the covers for a long time so there might be something in it for the bowlers. We are playing an unchanged side.'
When these two teams met in the league stages of the tournament, Punjab drew first blood when they defeated Kolkata by 23 runs in Abu Dhabi. When these two met again in Cuttack, Kolkata trounced Punjab with a solid 9-wicket victory. No two teams have been so evenly matched as these two and the fans must be waiting for quite a contest. \
The way this tournament has unfolded, especially in the last few days of the league games, everybody will be hoping for yet another cracker. Punjab are the team to beat, sitting pretty on the top of the table, with a fantastic display all through the season. On the other hand, Gambhir's boys are not going down without a fight. A better weather and a game at their home ground, gives them a good chance to register another win on the trot and march into the final.
Even the Punjab official twitter account said that things are looking bright. Here's what they had to say: Things are looking good! It hasn't rained and we're on our way to a 3:30 PM toss!
Preview by MS Ramakrishnan
After 56 hard fought games, we are left with four teams who are waiting to get their hands on the coveted Indian T20 League (Indian T20 League) trophy. Firstly, it is the battle between the top two. The tension will be high as Punjab take on 2012 Champions, Kolkata in Qualifier 1 at Eden Gardens. The winner will get a direct entry to the final while the loser has a second opportunity by taking on one of Chennai or Mumbai on May 30.
Kolkata:
Gautam Gambhir's men are on a roll with seven consecutive wins under their belt, including a stunning display against Hyderabad, which helped them pip Chennai and grab the second stop in the table. The fact that the Qualifier 1 was shifted out of Chennai has now given them an added advantage - they will be playing in familiar conditions and in front of an boisterous Kolkata crowd.
Robin Uthappa has grabbed eyeballs whenever Kolkata have taken the field of late. With nine consecutive 40 scores, Uthappa is in fine form and is looking good for more. Deservingly, he is also the leading run-getter in this year's competition. The way he has scored these runs has forced many to be glued to their seats when he is batting in the middle.
Though the skipper has not made many runs in his last few games, he has had no problems in timing the ball. Shakib Al Hasan too has done well in the competition and plays a vital role with both bat and ball. Yusuf Pathan's stunning innings against Hyderabad not only silenced his critics but also helped Kolkata grab the crucial second place on the table, which now gives them an extra opportunity to make it to the final.
If you have Sunil Narine in your ranks you are normally considered to have a fine bowling line-up and the Kolkata attack is no different. He is also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and is the trump card for Gambhir in crunch situations. The rest of the bowlers too have formed good partnerships with Narine to constitute a formidable bowling attack.
Punjab:
Punjab, on the other hand, have been the team to beat for oppositions. Their sheer aggression with the bat has intimidated many bowlers and it will be a big test for Gambhir and his men come Tuesday. The fact that Manan Vohra is firing all guns at the top of the order, alongside Virender Sehwag, adds to the opposition captain's woes. If one thought those two were a destructive combination, there is more to come in the form of Glenn Maxwell and David Miller. It is quite clear that the bowlers and the fielders will have to be on their toes to stop the best batting line-up of this Indian T20 League.
Punjab's Indian talent has not disappointed the team management in the bowling department. Akshar Patel has been very impressive and even when skipper George Bailey asks him to bowl in pressure situations, Patel has shown maturity and has delivered quality goods. The fact that he has not missed a single game this year tells more about the trust the captain has in him. Sandeep Sharma lost his touch in the last few games but he has troubled many a batsman with his sharp swinging deliveries. He also tops the side's bowling charts with 17 wickets.
Stats:
Sunil Narine has picked up 20 or more wickets in three consecutive editions of the Indian T20 League. He picked up 24 wickets in 2012, 22 wickets in 2013 and 20 so far in 2014. Lasith Malinga is the only other bowler to have achieved this feat in 2011 (28 wickets), 2012 (22 wickets) and 2013 (20 wickets).
This will be the 100th T20 game for Manish Pandey.
Morne Morkel needs one more wicket to get to 150 wickets in T20s.
Robin Uthappa is the only player in the history of T20 cricket to score 40 runs in nine consecutive matches.
Quotes:
'There is always that fear of getting hit for long sixes, but I mainly try to stick to my strength of bowling the arm-ball and the quicker one. I don't look to spin the ball or try different variations; I only concentrate on bowling a good arm-ball,' Akshar Patel, on his bowling.
'We are going to have to be on our A game. They are a good team, a very good batting team and they could easily turn the game around, so we have to stay focused and concentrate on what we are doing,' Kolkata's coach Trevor Bayliss ahead of his side's clash with Punjab.