IPL 2011: KKR vs KTK: Match PreviewWith back to back wins and a wave of momentum behind them, a rejuvenated Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be taking on a red hot Kolkata Knight Riders in the 22nd match of the Indian Premier League at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Home advantage will definitely make them the favourites, but as Kochi showed in their last couple of matches against Mumbai and Chennai, they are more than capable of holding their own against the bigger teams.

Kolkata on the other hand, have made a mockery of the Rajasthan Royals on two separate occasions and will be desperately waiting to maul the Tuskers, a team which appears weak on paper. The pitch in Eden Gardens has remained low and slow, giving a distinct advantage to the team batting first. However, given the fact that almost 80% of the IPL matches this season have been won chasing, it will not be surprising to see either captain opting to field first.

Kolkata Knight Riders: The stand out team of the IPL so far, the Knight Riders have largely looked unbeatable. With crafty accumulators in the form of Gambhir and Kallis and quality hitters of the nature of Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan, their batting appears to be the strongest among all the 10 teams.

Other than these popular names, domestic marauder Manoj Tiwary and Bangla skipper Shakib Al Hasan act as the guiding light to the batting department and are well capable of pacing their innings. The only worry for the Knight Riders is the ordinary form of Manvinder Bisla, whose skills behind the wicket and the four foreigner rule have helped him retain his place. Brad Haddin could well come in for the youngster, but that would upset the balance of the squad.

The opener, Jacques Kallis is now occupying the 3rd spot in terms of the leading run scorers in the tournament, but more importantly his fifties, in all matches but one, have helped KKR score comprehensive victories. With the World Cup Euphoria now behind him, Gambhir has also struck form with back to back quality innings'. Manoj Tiwary has delivered whenever the need arose and that too at a healthy strike rate. Although Pathan and Morgan haven’t really been tested so far, the management will be hoping it remains the same way.

Inspite of having no big names in their bowling ranks, barring Brett Lee, the KKR bowlers have been disciplined, efficient and effective. Under the guidance of the bowling coach Wasim Akram, they seem to have developed a knack for taking wickets and breaking partnerships.

Iqbal Abdulla has been one of the finds of this tournament, having been in the thick of wickets while maintaining a decent economy rate. Shakib Al Hasan having picked 3 wickets in the two matches he has played so far, has played a vital role in restricting the run flow in the middle overs. Although Brett Lee has just one wicket so far, he has bowled wonderfully with the new ball and in the death overs. But the star of the bowling line up surprisingly is L Balaji. Bowling one of the best spells of the IPL in the last match (3 for 15) he is the man the tuskers must be wary of. Pathan and Kallis have played the fifth bowlers' role to perfection.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: There is nothing in this team that remotely justifies them being called Tuskers. They lack big names, the team as a unit presents a weak picture and they are hardly running amok! However, by sticking to the basics and playing to their strength, they have managed to upstage two favourites in the form of Mumbai and Chennai. Will they be a third time lucky as well against Kolkata?

The reason why Kochi have suddenly started winning is because of one player - Brendon McCullum. His stunning knocks in the last two matches coupled with some support from Ravindra Jadeja and Mahela Jayawardene, directed Kochi towards the winning cause. Among the other known names wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel has also got runs under his belt at an enviable strike-rate. Brad Hodge has played the role of the finisher to perfection, getting runs even under pressure. These are the five main players around which the Tuskers batting revolves.

Despite lacking a genuine wicket taking bowler, Kochi’s bowling has largely been impressive especially in the last match against CSK. This is because the bowlers have been disciplined, shown commitment and bowled their hearts out.

Although their star player S Sreesanth has failed to perform, their other key bowlers RP Singh and R Gomez have been brilliant. R Vinay Kumar has also been miserly with the new ball, while Ravindra Jadeja has done the job expected of him. In the spin friendly conditions of Kolkata, Ramesh Powar might be expected to play a pivotal role. The contest between the spinners Hasan and Abdulla on one side and Jadeja and Powar on the other will certainly be a treat for the fans.

Likely Playing XI: Kolkata Knight Riders: Manvinder Bisla, Jacques Kallis, Gautam Gambhir, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Eoin Morgan, Shaqib Al Hasan, Iqbal Abdulla, Rajat Bhatia, Brett Lee, Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala: Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Brad Hodge, Kedar Jadhav, Parthiv Patel (wk), Thisara Perera, Raiphi Gomez, Vinay Kumar, RP Singh, Ramesh Powar.

Watch out for: Shakib Al Hasan:·He has changed the face of Bangladeshi cricket and came close to taking his team to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. He has been giving all-round performances in all forms of cricket for the past two years. His left-arm spin will be a major strength for the Knight Riders given the slow nature of the wicket at Eden Gardens. Having been on the verge of a hat trick in the last match, he will play a key role in containing McCullum in the early overs.

Ravindra Jadeja: He didn’t play the last edition, getting into trouble with the owners in order to get a better contract. He fetched a great bid in the auction and has so far proved to be a good pick. He has also bowled refreshing spells even as his colleagues have got hammered. While it was his calm and collected batting in the death overs that has carried Kochi home twice now. He will certainly play a major role with the ball and the bat against the Knight Riders.

Prediction: The Knight Riders have proven match winners like Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Gautam Gambhir and with home field advantage are the undoubted favourites heading into this game. However, as has been the trend in recent matches, even the better teams have lost while batting first as any target set appears undefendable. Kochi has made the most out of this development and hence toss could play a crucial role in deciding the eventual winner.