The clash of teams on the field, when the Kolkata Knight Riders take on King's XI Punjab, will be matched, or bettered by the Bollywood battle between team owners Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The one thing both teams are hoping for is that the rain stays away so that the better team can prevail.
Skill aside, in this format luck can play a crucial role and it remains to be seen who will have the rub of the green on Tuesday. Both teams come into the game with a loss and will be eager to taste success.
On Sunday, the Kings XI Punjab had to stomach a massive 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Daredevils in a rain-truncated match. And the Knight Riders were thrashed by the Deccan Chargers — the same team that finished at the bottom of the table last season.
Kolkata's new skipper Brendon McCullum, who only got the top job in controversial circumstances, could not do much. McCullum only put one run on board and the Knight Riders ended up losing as many as three important wickets for the addition of only 16 runs.
R.P. Singh, who walked away with 4 for 22, proved to be KKR's nemesis. The loss will certainly set tongues wagging and reopen the debate over whether it was the right decision to relieve Ganguly of the captaincy.
Equally, though, cricket fans in Durban will look forward to a repeat of the T20 World Cup Yuvraj Singh special where he clattered six sixes off an over at this venue. Yuvraj, who could not play much of a role in the first match, will be looking to make an impact. As Shah Rukh reminded fans recently, “it’s important to be lucky on match days”, and both sides will be hoping it’s their turn to be favoured by lady luck.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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