ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers in Kolkata

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit23-Apr-2012

Match facts

Tuesday, April 24, Kolkata
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Deccan Chargers have reason to smile tomorrow?•AFP

Big Picture

What will it take for Deccan Chargers to get a win? They have made 196 and lost, they have failed to defend 18 off the final over, they have dropped catches and fielded poorly with embarrassing regularity. They are in imminent danger of having to win every remaining match to make the knockouts if their run of five consecutive losses extends further.Chargers do not have the luxury, like Delhi Daredevils had, of big signings arriving through the tournament to boost them. The current set of players will have to start a turnaround. On evidence of their showing so far, it seems an uphill task. Both their overseas and domestic players have struggled.Kolkata Knight Riders are on solid ground. They have had their customary stutters almost every game, but apart from the narrow loss to Kings XI Punjab at home, they haven’t thrown it away. Having defeated Chargers convincingly on Sunday on a Cuttack pitch that resembled the one at Eden Gardens in its slowness, they will start favourites.

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders WWLWW
Deccan Chargers LLLLL

Players to watch

The only game in which Chargers posted a daunting total, against Rajasthan Royals, JP Duminy made an unbeaten 58 from just 26 deliveries. He came in at No. 4 that day; he’s batted at No. 5 in his other two innings. Despite getting reasonable starts, Chargers have struggled to get going in the later stages of their innings. Another promotion for Duminy would not be a bad idea.Yusuf Pathan has made 29 runs from seven games at a strike-rate of 82.85 and gone wicketless in ten overs at an economy-rate of 8.70. Knight Riders have been maintaining that Yusuf is one innings away from finding his destructive touch. How long a rope will he be given by the team management?

Stats and trivia

• Yusuf made 1011 runs in 42 innings at a strike-rate of 161.24 for Rajasthan Royals. For Knight Riders, his strike-rate drops to 128.81 for just 380 runs scored in 21 innings.
• Shikhar Dhawan is Chargers’ leading run-getter this season with 208 at a strike-rate of 126.82. No other Chargers batsman has made even 100 runs.
  

  Quotes

  “I think in the last four matches we’ve played good cricket. It’s just that at the big moments we’ve made a mistake either with the bat, the ball or in the field, whether it be a poor over, a dropped catch or not taking on the right bowler at the right time.”

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