Hot and cold Kolkata seek consistency

[sureshkumarthegerat]

Big picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders are on level terms. Both teams have played ten matches, won five and lost as many. Only a better net run-rate keeps Bangalore at fourth place, while Kolkata are sixth, as the scrap for semi-final berths gets more intense.

Those positions, however, could have changed by the time Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly walk out for the toss at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Chennai Super Kings, presently wedged between Bangalore and Kolkata, will have finished their evening game against Deccan Chargers in Nagpur, and if Chennai secure their sixth win, they will displace Bangalore from No. 4 in the points table. If they lose, Deccan will draw level on ten points with both Bangalore and Kolkata.

The winner of Saturday night's clash will leave the Chinnaswamy with 12 points, on par with Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals (and possibly Chennai), with only Mumbai ahead of them. The loser could have Deccan and Chennai for company on ten points.

Bangalore's semi-final chances have taken a hit after a drastic reversal in form. They had won four of their first five games, before losing four of their next five. Kolkata, on the other hand, have performed in fits and starts and few can predict their form on the day. They batted awfully in Delhi, defended 181 efficiently against Deccan, conceded 204 against Punjab, before lifting in both disciplines to overcome Delhi.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore - LLWLL
Kolkata Knight Riders - WLWLW

Team talk

Sourav Ganguly was at the forefront of Kolkata's hard-fought win against Delhi at Eden Gardens, but he injured his ankle in the process. He did not travel to Bangalore with the team on Thursday, but reports have quoted Kolkata coach Dav Whatmore as saying that Ganguly will feature in tomorrow's game. While Chris Gayle, Angelo Mathews and Brendon McCullum are likely to fill three overseas slots for Kolkata, there is a question over the fourth. Ajantha Mendis played the last game because of the dryness of the Eden pitch and impressed with 2 for 22, but the Chinnaswamy surface is faster and Shane Bond could return. Murali Kartik also missed out against Delhi because of injury and his replacement, left-armer Iqbal Abdulla, also performed well during a tense finish.

Bangalore left out million-dollar signing Kevin Pietersen in their loss to Deccan on Thursday, choosing Jacques Kallis, Cameron White, Ross Taylor and Dale Steyn as their overseas personnel. If they decide to bring back Pietersen, it could be White or Taylor that makes way. However, it isn't their batting which is the problem and Anil Kumble stressed on the need for his bowlers to improve after conceding 180-plus totals in their last three matches. Praveen and Vinay Kumar were expensive against Deccan and either could make way for KP Appanna or Abhimanyu Mithun.

Previously…

Kolkata 3, Bangalore 2
Kolkata beat Bangalore twice in the first season of the IPL. Bangalore redressed the imbalance in South Africa in 2009. In their first encounter this season, Bangalore managed only 135 at Eden Gardens, and Kolkata won by seven wickets.

In the spotlight

Kolkata's consistency: Sourav Ganguly's men have been unable to build a winning streak. Their campaign began to recover with the victory in Mohali and results in the next four matches alternated between wins and defeats. Their last two successes came in front of a partisan Eden Gardens crowd. Can they end their inconsistency and string together a second successive win?

Ross Taylor: He blitzed 22 off 10 balls, with trademark hits over the midwicket boundary in Delhi, but lasted only two balls against Deccan. The Bangalore crowd loves him and, if Taylor keeps his spot in the XI and gets going, his fans in the stands between square leg and long-on better watch their heads.

Prime Numbers

    * Kolkata scored 181 and 200 in their last two games against Delhi and Punjab but endured periods of lull in both those innings. They scored 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 against Delhi, and only 23 runs between overs six and ten against Punjab.

    * Robin Uthappa hit 11 sixes in his first four innings of this season. In his last five, he has cleared the boundary only six times.

    * Ganguly and Gayle have given Kolkata opening stands worth 94 and 56 in the last two games. And one of the openers has made a half-century in each of the last four games.

The chatter …

"We are in a similar situation as we had been last year in South Africa. We had done well last year and there's no reason why can't we produce the goods once more."
Anil Kumble is confident Bangalore can get out of the rut they are in.

"I am in the process of getting myself ready. Who would like to miss out on a game at this make-or-break stage of the tournament!"
Sourav Ganguly underlines the importance of Saturday's clash

[sureshkumarthegerat]

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[sureshkumarthegerat]

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