Champions League 2011 CL T20 Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Somerset
KKR clash with Somerset at Hyderabad on Sunday, September 25, in a match that will give them the Indian side an opportunity to wreak revenge on the English squad. Somerset beat KKR in the qualifiers by 11 runs, and while KKR failed to chase 167 to win, they managed to get three runs more than the 153 required to qualify for the main tournament.
Somerset are favoured by many to win the game and KKR will welcome the absence of any pressure of expectation. They have a fairly strong batting at the top of the order, with Manvinder Bisla always looking for big hits opening the batting with the ever-reliable Jacques Kallis. Goswamy comes in at number three and he is in fact Gambhir’s replacement, during the skipper’s absence. The lower middle has players of the calibre of Manoj Tiwary and Shakib Al Hasan.
But the match winning potential of KKR’s batting should rest in the exploits of Ryan ten Doeschate and Yusuf Pathan both of whom can blow away any attack and literally bat any rivals out of the match.
The bowling could depend hugely on the spin trio of Pathan, Abdulla and Hasan, the players who helped vanquish Auckland, in the qualifiers. KKR also have a wealth of talent in their fast bowling resources, led by Brett Lee and supported by Unadkat and Balaji.
Somerset had an all-win record in their pool, beating both KKR and Auckland, in the qualifiers, where they brought to bear their batting strength in batting. The opening slots are taken by Chris Jones and Peter Trego; the latter has been performing with great consistency and Jones will seek to regain the form he showed earlier in the season when he got a ton against local English side, Southampton. Trego combined with Van der Merwe to bat KKR out of their qualifier, and the pair could spell trouble for KKR, a second time round, on Sunday. Hildreth, Compton and keeper Snell comprise the middle order and all three are quite capable of piling on the runs, at a fair clip. Somerset would however miss the services of Kieswetter and Butler, currently doing duty for England in the West Indies. Their return, when it happens, will bolster the batting greatly.
The new ball will be handled by Alonso Thomas who was among the wickets in IPL 4; he will be partnered by Trego. But Somerset could look to Van der Merwe’s spin, aided by Murali Kartik and accompanied by the leg spin of youngster Max Waller, on the slow turners of the sub-continent.
KKR’s probable eleven: Kallis, Bisla, Goswami, Tiwary, Hasan, Pathan, Doeschate, Bhatia, Lee, Abdullah, Balaji
Somerset’s probable eleven: Jones, Trego, der Merwe, Compton, Hildreth, Snell, Suppiah, Gregory, Thomas, Kartik, Waller
Category: Cricket
About the Author (Author Profile)
Jinxatious is the Chief Editor of SportingAttitude.com
An avid writer, on an eclectic range of subjects, he brings to bear editorial experience garnered with a national newspaper in South-East Asia. He also has sportscasting experience, as a cricket commentator, and his passion for sport extends beyond Cricket, to Football, Tennis, and Olympic Sports.
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