Kolkata: Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders - two sides yet to reach the Indian Premier League clash at the Eden Gardens on Thursday, eyeing a good opening to their campaign in the 5th year IPL of the cash-rich league on the right note.
Dashing batsman Virender Sehwag, who is having his 2nd innings as Daredevils captain, would be hopeful the team would better its lackluster performance in the previous 2 years of the IPL when it bent out in the group league stage. The Delhi franchisee made it to the semi-finals in the tournament's 1st 2 chapters.
The KKR, now led by the formidable Gautam Gambhir - a former Delhi Daredevils captain - have in their ranks several stars include the hard hitting New Zealand starter Brendon McCullum, Australian speed bowler Brett Lee, all-rounder Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies off spinner Sunil Narine, famous South African batsman Kallis and attacking willower Yusuf Pathan.
Having made hasty exits from the group stage in the 1st 3 editions of the league, the Shah Rukh Khan owned KKR made it to the semi-finals last year, and are aim to improve the bar this time.Playing their lung-opener on home to of Eden Gardens, which local organizer Cricket society of Bengal hope would see a footfall of around 50,000, the Knights have high hope from their 2new recruits Narine and McCullum, while Merchant De Lange has an outside chance of creation it to the playing eleven.
The Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate, with his big thumping capabilities and utility medium pace, is also in the reckoning for a place in the last arrangement. The Daredevils are with no several of their front-line batsmen. Mahela Jayewardene of Sri Lanka, David Warner of Australia and England Kevin Petersen are busy serving their national teams, while volatile New Zealander Ross Taylor is treatment a broken hand.
Apart from Sehwag, Andre Russell of West Indies could be a support of the Daredevils, who have a dreadful pace attack, led by Morne Morkel, with Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron capable of difficult the Knight's strong batting line up.
