Troubled Royals face Eagles’ challenge

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Until about a week ago, a Rajasthan Royals-Sunrisers Hyderabad clash in the IPL-6 Eliminator would have been billed as a face off between the underdogs who had truly made this edition their own. The dramatic turn of events surrounding the Royals however — with three of their players arrested for spot-fixing — has given the contest an entirely different meaning.
This will be the Royals’ second encounter after the unfortunate incident that has rocked the team and their image, and it will require quite an effort to pull together in their first playoff match since the title triumph in 2008.
For Rajasthan, there is a lot at stake. The team haven’t tasted success after the first season and the fact that they face the rejuvenated Sunrisers — who beat them in their final league encounter — makes it even more special. But above all will be the urge to put behind the shocking episode that has engulfed the squad in the last few days.
Rahul Dravid’s men have been exemplary in the field this season and a favourable result on the morrow will be their only way out of this mess. More than anything else, this will be the biggest gift to themselves — recognition for a unit that fought opponents with grit, other than a few of their own team mates who now are known to have had ulterior motives in the field over the last month-and-a-half.
The Sunrisers, on the other hand, have been the fairytale story of the year. The sprightly team have grown in strength with each game and the presence of West Indian skipper Darren Sammy and South African Dale Steyn has lifted them hugely.
Sammy mentioned the team’s never-say-die spirit after almost every win, and this is what has defined their campaign. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, Steyn and leg-spinner Amit Mishra have been pivotal to the Sunrisers’ success, besides all-rounders Karan Sharma and Thisara Perera.
For Rajasthan, Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson have been the batting mainstays and the trio will have to come good if the Royals are to last the distance. James Faulkner and Kevon Cooper are quite a handful in the pace department. Spin though will be an area where Dravid will have to come up with fresh ideas on a tricky Kotla track following the arrests of Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila. Both teams have much to prove — more to themselves than to their critics — and the stage is set for an absorbing encounter.