With four wins in a row in the ongoing World T20 League 2014 and 13 on the trot overall, Kolkata are experiencing a superb run in T20 cricket and they would like to extend that when they come on to the field in the first semi-final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
However, they are up against a confident Hobart side, who will be eager to end Kolkata’s stupendous streak and book themselves a spot in the final in Bangalore on October 4th.
Kolkata:
The two-time Indian T20 League champions are the only other team apart from Punjab to win all their matches so far in the World T20 League 2014. With a quality batting line-up and a world-class bowling attack, and importantly, both working well in tandem, KOL have beaten all the teams in their path to enter the knock-out stage in style. They were made to sweat in their first three matches, but KOL kept their cool and managed to overcome Chennai, Lahore and Perth. In their final league match, Kolkata secured a comfortable win against the Sunfoil Dolphins to enter the semi-final unbeaten.
In the list of top run-getters in the World T20 League 2014, none of the KOL batsmen feature in the top 5. The reason being, there have been different batsmen rising up to the occasion in each of their matches so far and the Kolkata have not been solely dependent on one or two. If Andre Russell and Ryan ten Doeschate came up with splendid knocks against CHN, skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front against the Lions. Youngster, Suryakumar Yadav took Perth by complete surprise before Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey came up with a record partnership against the Dolphins. The fact that most of the batsmen have come up with crucial contributions augers well for the Kolkata. However, there have been a couple of top-order collapses, which the 2014 T20 League champs will be keen to avoid.
Sunil Narine has been Kolkata’s spearhead and it is no surprise that he is topping the top wicket-takers’ list, considering that none of the sides have been able to come to terms with his mystery bowling. Kuldeep Yadav, the 19-year-old left-arm chinaman bowler, has also been impressive while Piyush Chawla has done a decent job. Yusuf Pathan, with his part-time off-spin, has been economical too. On spin-friendly Indian tracks, Kolkata have banked mostly on their spinners, who have not let them down so far. The seamers, on the other hand, have not had it easy. The likes of Russell, Pat Cummins, Jacques Kallis and Umesh Yadav have gone for quite a few in this tournament. KOL will be hoping that the quick bowlers can come up with a disciplined effort and complement the spinners. The Kolkata will also want Narine to tread cautiously, especially with his quicker deliveries, since he has been reported for chucking.
Hobart:
The runners-up of the Big Bash League 2013/14, Hobart have been one of very few overseas teams who have impressed in this edition of the World T20 League. Unlike the BBL champs Perth, who were pretty inconsistent and failed to make it to the knock-out stage, the Hurricanes, riding on a few clinical performances, made it to the final four round. While they suffered a defeat at the hands PUN in their maiden World T20 League match, the Hurricanes came back well, chasing down a commanding total against Cobras. In their next game, Hobart tamed the Knights before easing past the line against Barbados.
With back-to-back half-centuries against the Knights and Tridents, Aiden Blizzard has been in fine form. Shoaib Malik too has come up with a couple of important contributions and has played a pivotal role in the middle order. The rest of the batters though, have bee very inconsistent. Ben Dunk, apart from a fifty against Cobras, has not done much in this tournament. Skipper, Tim Paine too has not quite made an impact yet, neither has Travis Birt. Hobart will be hoping that the top-order comes to the party in the all-important game and make the Aussie presence felt.
In the bowling department, Hobart have the experienced campaigners, Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger, who have spearheaded the pace attack well. Ben Laughlin and Joe Mennie too have done a good job, keeping things tight at their end and not letting the opposition batsmen get away. Xavier Doherty has been delivering on a consistent basis and Hobart will be counting on the left-arm spinner to do well again. The Australian side have not utilised the bowling services of Malik much, but they can always turn to the reliable Pakistani all-rounder when things do not quite go their way.
Pitch and Conditions:
Kolkata have taken a liking to the Uppal stadium, preferring mostly to chase, which they have done so successfully thrice. Hobart too have won their only game at this venue so far while chasing. With a 4-1 ratio in favour of teams batting second, it is not too hard to predict what the captain winning the toss would decide in this game. As far as the conditions are concerned, clear skies are expected with temperatures in the range 28-32 C.
Quotes:
‘I think they (Hobart) have been playing good cricket. I think some of their batsmen are really doing well. It is a good bowling side. We as a unit respect their side. But at the same time, we possess our strengths as well. So, I think we will focus more on our strengths and our abilities and sticking to our processes: Robin Uthappa, on KOL’s plans for the game.
Last time we played an unbeaten team in a semi, good things happened: Travis Birt on twitter, referring to Hobart’s win in the BBL semi-final against Melbourne Stars, who were unbeaten until this game.
Teams:
Kolkata (From): Robin Uthappa(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Ryan ten Doeschate, Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Pat Cummins, Manvinder Bisla
Hobart (From): Ben Dunk, Tim Paine(c & w), Aiden Blizzard, Shoaib Malik, Travis Birt, Jonathan Wells, Ben Hilfenhaus, Xavier Doherty, Ben Laughlin, Doug Bollinger, Evan Gulbis, Dominic Michael, Sam Rainbird, Cameron Boyce, Joe Mennie
