Rajasthan Royals vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, Kingsmead, Durban - 20th May, 2009 SET MAX (4:00 PM IST) - 10:30 GMT

The last leg of the tournament holds the key for the teams to make it to the semi-finals. Rajasthan Royals (RR) unlike last year are hinging on a victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to make it to the semis. RR is not alone with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th places still up for grabs. KKR who scripted a memorable victory over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their penultimate encounter have the potential to spoil the party for RR.

RR lost a close match against the Delhi Daredevils (DD) who are sitting pretty on the top of the table. The match wasn't much of a revelation - RR's top order was dismissed cheaply, the middle order held forth and the bowlers did their job. With only one match to go, and a must win encounter at that, RR will have to produce a stellar performance. The odds are stacked against the reigning champions. The net run rate in the negative means RR will have to beat KKR by a big margin to inch closer to a positive net run rate.

As far as their progress in the tournament goes, RR and KKR have had problems at the top order. Though KKR do not possess the bowling prowess of RR, they do boast of an explosive batting line-up, which hasn't fired much in the tournament. However, with only one match to go and their dignity and self respect on the line, KKR will be a tough opponent for RR. Both teams have strong middle order batsmen who can pace the innings and explode if need be. The conditions, however, present a tricky situation for the batsmen. The pitch which favours spinners automatically also favours the RR bowling and its spinning quartet - Shane Warne, Johan Botha, Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan.

While the conditions favours RR, the ground too has been lucky for the team with RR winning all their matches at Durban (except for their first match which was abandoned). KKR, on the other hand, haven't won a single match at Durban.

RR seem favourites to win this one but KKR surprise the reigning champions with their last charge.

Watch out: Johan Botha, with the bat and ball, may prove to be a vital resource for RR.

RR Squad: Shane Warne, Robert Quiney, Abhishek Raut, Morne Morkel, Paul Valthaty, Kamran Khan, Niraj Patel, Mahesh Rawat, Shane Harwood, Siddharth Trivedi, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Munaf patel, Graeme Smith, Tyron Henderson, Johan Botha.

Halla Bol!!!

Back