KKR look to reclaim top spot-(GOOD WISHES FROM MY SIDE....LET THE GOOD CRICKET WIN,BUT I AM WITH THIS TEAM...VT)

KKR look to reclaim top spot

A CORRESPONDENT

Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders will look to regain the top spot in the IPL standings when they take on Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday. The Gautam Gambhir-led side had zoomed to the top after defeating Kings XI Punjab in their last encounter at Eden Gardens. But Mumbai Indians reclaimed the pole position after beating the Adam Gilchrist-led side at the Wankhede, on Monday. A victory with a superior net run-rate Tuesday would put the Knight Riders again at the top though Mumbai Indians (12 points from eight matches) would have played a match less. Former champions Deccan Chargers will face an uphill task as the Knight Riders are keen to maintain their winning momentum. The Hyderabad-based outfit have played eight matches so far and managed to win only three. The roller-coaster campaign puts them in the lower half of the points table with six points. Significantly, two other IPL teams have six points and Deccan Chargers have another half-a-dozen matches left to rise in the table. Knight Riders have 10 points and are third in the overall standings, having won five out of their eight matches so far. The high-profile line-up of batsmen led by Gautam Gambhir, includes all-rounder Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Manoj Tiwary, all of whom have been in good touch. Captain Gambhir tops the batting charts for the Knight Riders with 254 followed by Kallis on 245. Tiwary is placed third (228 runs), at an average of 114.00. The Bengal captain has been in superb touch this season and he lends solidity to the middle-order. Most importantly, he has delivered under pressure. Not without reason has Gambhir and Dav Whatmore been effusive in Tiwary’s praise. Knight Riders will be without Bangladesh captain Shakib-al Hasan who had to rush home because of his mother’s illness. But Iqbal Abdulla has made up for his absence with some disciplined bowling. The task won’t be easy as Kumar Sangakkara’s men go into Tuesday’s match after a 19-run loss to Chennai Super Kings last night. The Sri Lankan was quick to highlight the need for a winning streak. “It is pretty simple. We have six games, of which we have to win five of them to stay alive in this competition. It is a great challenge. We are playing well, but we have to convert that extra 10 or five per cent to try and win a game,” he said. In Twenty20 cricket, a solid batting line-up is a must for any team and Deccan Chargers have been struggling on that front. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Sunny Sohal, Bharat Chipli and Sangakkara himself have not done enough to intimidate rival bowlers. They will have to rediscover their form to Deccan take further in the tournament. On the bowling front, hosts would look up to Ishant Sharma, who has shown glimpses of his past form , and Dale Steyn in the pace department. Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra will be spearheading the spin attack. For the Knight Riders, the bowling too looks formidable with an in-form Brett Lee spearheading the pace attack rather well with Lakshmipathy Balaji as an able support. Coming off back-to-back wins, confidence is bound to be high in the visitors’ camp but playing at home would certainly work to Deccan’s advantage. Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehman expressed disappointment over his team losing some close matches and hoped to come out good in the forthcoming games. “After the end of three home games, we would know where we are. We want to get at least two wins if not all three. We just got to play good cricket. We have played good cricket in patches.”