Desperate Kings up against Sunrisers
Two struggling captains come face to face in Match 58 of IPL-6 when Sunrisers Hyderabad seek to revive their qualification campaign and Kings XI Punjab try and keep theirs on track at the PCA Stadium here on Saturday night.
Kumar Sangakkara of the Sunrisers and Punjab’s Adam Gilchrist have more similarities than is usual. Both are left-handed batsmen-wicketkeepers, and neither of them has really been able to make an impact in the tournament as yet, despite being fine batsmen.
The big difference is that of age, which is firmly on the side of the Sri Lankan.
Their teams too, bear more than passing similarities, having spluttered and stuttered in the tournament so far, though the Hyderabad outfit are somewhat better placed when it comes to their place in the league table.
For Sangakkara’s men, a win here will go a long way in boosting their playoff chances, while a positive result for the Kings XI will be only one step in a campaign that could still go nowhere despite their best efforts.
Both teams go into this encounter off defeats in their last outings — the Sunrisers losing to runaway league leaders Chennai Super Kings and the Mohali-based side surrendering to the ever-improving Rajasthan Royals.
Again, each crashed to home defeats, and in rather tame fashion. While Sanga’s side subsided to a 77-run reversal in the face of Suresh Raina and Mike Hussey’s onslaught, the Kings XI were tamed by eight wickets thanks to clever bowling by Kevon Cooper and the rest of the Royals attack.
In fact, Thursday’s game holds out more than a few lessons for the Kings XI think tank. Not only did Rahul Dravid’s bowlers make smarter use of the conditions with confusing variations in pace, the hosts also brought on their only form batsman, David Miller with just a handful of overs to go.
Gilchrist admitted that the Royals had outsmarted them in the field, and also that they had ridden on Miller’s shoulders when it came to their handful of wins. That being the case, a rethink both in approach as well as the batting order is on the cards as the Kings XI have just not been able to deliver the runs, particularly the home talent.
The Sunrisers too owe some of their recent form to the returning Shikhar Dhawan, the other big factor being their bowling unit, in which Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra have led the way.
For Dhawan, of course, the PCA Stadium will have extremely happy memories. This is where he wrote himself into the record books with the quickest Test debut century with an innings of such class and authority that it left onlookers dumbfounded.
He has largely carried on in similar vein since his comeback from injury for Hyderabad, and along with their varied attack, could well be the difference between the two teams here on the morrow. Unless Miller decides to don the killer mantle once again.
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