Indian Premier League 2 : IPL 2 : IPL 2009

Like fish cannot really survive without the water, Shoaib Akhtar, the proud pride of Pakistan, the Rawalpindi Express cannot survive without the scandals. As soon as he landed in the India to play Indian Premier League, he was engulfed in the clouds of yet another scandal.

Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and elected to bat first against at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both the teams are clashing after being mauled by the Mumbai Indians in their previous matches.

While Sourav Ganguly’s Knight Riders are placed sixth, MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings are well placed on third slot in the points table. With IPL entering in the last phase (Yes! It’s the 40th match of the DLF IPL), it becomes an important game for both the teams as with this win Chennai would not only want to resurrect themselves from two consecutive defeats but also retain their third place.

Kolkata Knight Riders would also be eyeing to overcome the humiliating defeat against Mumbai Indians who wrapped them for just 67 runs on Friday and snatched their fourth position.

The last time when the two teams clashed, Dhoni had an upper hand. This time, Kolkata enjoys the home support and they would want to avenge the defeat. There is enough sting in their bowling and have the ability to rip the opposition, but for that Kolkata batsmen will have to give them a defendable score on the board.

With L Balaji coming off good and Manpreet Gony among wickets, it will not be a cakewalk for Kolkata batters. Similarly, Ishant Sharma, Shoaib Akhtar and Laxmi Ratan Shukla have troubled the opposition on previous occasions. So many situations and so many speculations, one thing is for sure - a cracking encounter is on the cards!