The 22nd game of the Indian Premier League will see the Kolkata Knight Riders host the Kochi Tuskers Kerala at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both sides go into the game with a win under their belt.
Kolkata v Kochi odds:
The Kolkata Knight Riders (8/11 at
Stan James) have clearly been the surprise package of the tournament. They had begun with a close loss to the Super Kings but once in their groove, they have won three in a row to go to the top of the points table. They have won against the Deccan Chargers before overpowering the Rajasthan Royals in two, rather easy wins.
The Kochi Tuskers (13/10 at
bet365) began slowly, with two defeats but their comeback has been excellent. First, they beat the previous year runner-up Mumbai Indians, as they chased down a mammoth 181. Then, in a game last Monday, they crushed the defending champions Chennai Super Kings at home to post their second win.
Ground and Pitch:
Heat, humidity, mugginess and all those terms that can put off most cricket fans can be associated with what happened in previous game at the Eden Gardens. Balls were slipping out of the bowlers’ and fielders’ hands because of the sweat pouring out of them and this is not going to change too much.
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For a side that has won three games in a row, one can expect no changes to the side. Gautam Gambhir (3/1 at
Stan James) will lead the side and this time, he has done it with great panache. The batting form has helped too; he got a 97 in that final of the World Cup before following up with a super half-century and an unbeaten innings in the two Rajasthan games.
It was strange to see Jacques Kallis (5/2 at
bet365) get out for a duck, playing the kind of shot that he played in the previous game and he will look to atone for that mistake. However, it does look like the Tuskers could be looking to get a few early scalps and test that middle-order which hasn’t got too many chances yet – Yusuf Pathan (8/1 at
Stan James) and Eoin Morgan (8/1 at
Boylesports) will hold the key.
The Tuskers have had a couple of good performances with the bat. Brendon McCullum (11/4 at
Boylesports) has obviously been the key and won a couple of man of the match awards, but credit must be given to the way both Mahela Jayawardene (11/4 at
Boylesports) and Ravindra Jadeja (13/2 at
bet365) have batted in the tournament.
Interestingly, Parthiv Patel (6/1 at
bet365) was sent ahead of both Jadeja and Brad Hodge, at the number three position in the Chennai game and he did not disappoint.
Prediction:
Kolkata will have the home advantage and Jadeja (4/1 at
Stan James) could end up being difficult to score off on the slow Eden Gardens surface.
