KKR aim to eliminate MI

The Kolkata Knight Riders have a golden opportunity to heal their heartbreak when they take on tormentors the Mumbai Indians in the IPL-IV eliminator, here on Wednesday.
Losing out on the second spot in league table after the Mumbai Indians pulled off almost a miracle at the Eden on Sunday, the Knights will certainly look to exact revenge and eliminate the Mumbai side.
When you are defeated by a last ball six, it’s reason enough to feel demoralised as a team. One such feat by Pakistan legend Javed Miandad has left a lingering scar on the Indian cricket, which is still to heal. If the Knights fail to uproot the Mumbai Indians in their own backyard Wednesday, the scar, perhaps, will keep haunting them in future.
But the Knights looked motivated enough for the encounter at the Wankhede Stadium.
On Tuesday afternoon, when the Knights came to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) ground at the Bandra-Kurla Sports Complex, for a two-hour training session, they appeared a relaxed lot. Since it was an optional practice session, some of the big names like Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis and Lakshmipathy Balaji did not turn up for the nets.
Ironically though, the Mumbai Indians, the team that clinched the Sunday humdinger, were present in full strength for the session at the same venue, later in the evening. Captain Sachin Tendulkar looked extremely serious as he batted for close to half-an-hour.
“We lost on Sunday, but expect to emerge winners in tomorrow’s (Wednesday) game,” Dav Whatmore, the Knights’ coach, said on the sidelines of the practice session. “We have a good batting line-up and quality bowlers, who are having an effect on the rival sides,” he added.
Though some players were not there, the rest of the squad had a serious net session for two hours with middle-order batsman Manoj Tiwary and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla working hardest in their respective trades. Tiwary was particularly entertaining for the handful of spectators as he repeatedly cleared the ground with some lofted shots.
A win here would earn Gautam Gambhir and his boys a second shot for a berth in the final.
The Knights had a definite upperhand against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday, but Balaji was destined to suffer the fate of Chetan Sharma. As Ambati Rayudu despatched Balaji’s delivery, the last of the match, for a huge six, the Knights’ hopes of finishing second after the league stage were also thrown out of the ground.
But as they say, all that will be history when the two teams battle to outwit each other on Wednesday.
The Knights have reasons to feel encouraged despite the dramatic defeat on Sunday. Overall, they have proved themselves a compact side, winning eight of their 14 matches in the league stage.
In batting, Kallis has played with characteristic authority, Tiwary has been at his consistent best and Yusuf Pathan’s brutal cameos have often puzzled the opposition.
The bowlers did not do too badly either. Spinner Iqbal Abdulla has definitely been the most impressive of the lot. Brett Lee has managed to keep it tight in most of the matches, while Shakib-al Hasan and Rajat Bhatia have performed their roles to considerable success.
Given the fact that not many runs were scored in the last few matches here, the Wankhede pitch could be of help for the Knights’ spinners.
But then, when a certain Sachin Tendulkar is on the opposition roster, that too on his home ground, being relaxed would be a fool’s job.
On Tuesday evening, when the master arrived at the MCA Sports Complex, fans jostled with each other to get a glimpse of the star.
The home team spent close to three hours in the nets. Sachin was the star attraction and as he was going out, a small kid shouted “Sachin, Sachin.” The legend stopped for a second, smiled at the boy, and then walked off.
Though Sachin, Rohit Sharma and Rayudu are doing well, no other batsman in the Mumbai Indians’ ranks has managed to score runs consistently. Much was expected from Keiron Pollard and Andrew Symonds, but both of them have failed to match expectations and performance.
Also difficult for the Knights will be to tackle Lasith Malinga. Not that Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh are easy to deal with, but the fiery Sri Lankan pacer is dangerous with a capital D!

Thanks- The telegraph