SHANE Watson’s Rajasthan Royals can take a share of the IPL lead
if they overcome the David Warner-inspired Sunrisers Hyderabad in
Ahmedabad.ASTRALIANS IN ACTION
Aside from Glenn Maxwell at Kings XI Punjab, is any one player in the IPL more important to his side’s fortunes than Royals’ skipper Watson? While his numbers in IPL 2014 are not record-breaking like his ODI and T20 teammate, Watson’s all-round contributions have been pivotal to Rajasthan’s four successive victories leading into this game. Against Kolkata, Watson lead from the front with a crucial 31 in the middle order, followed by an inspiring triple-wicket over that began a collapse of 6-2 to seal an unlikely win. All he needs now is a big score to rubber-stamp his credentials as the best all-round player in the IPL.
Watson’s success has left little for fellow Aussies Steve Smith and James Faulkner to do, with both barely facing a ball so far and Faulkner often not completing his four-over bowling allotment. That said, expect both to hold their places for this match and be itching to play bigger roles.
Sunrisers trump-card Warner appears to have found a niche at number four, playing the supporting role to one of his side’s dashing top three batsmen before exploding late in the innings. Consecutive half centuries make him the form player among Hyderabad’s inconsistent batting line-up. Aaron Finch will be looking to convert his solid starts into big scores after getting out just after becoming settled in his last two outings.
MATCH PREVIEW
Neither side was convincing when they last met, with the Royals scratching their way to a four-wicket victory after the Sunrisers set them a paltry 134 to win.
The young Royals seem to have settled in under Watson’s guidance, with their calmness while batting second a particular feature. Despite getting the benefits of a special Kolkata collapse in their last outing, capped off by leg-spinner Pravin Tambe’s hat-trick, the manner in which Kolkata scooted to 0-121 in pursuit of 170 is still cause for concern. One positive is the batting of Indian prodigy Sanju Samson, who has settled into Rajasthan’s crucial number three spot with aplomb.
For the Sunrisers, this match appears to be a tipping point in their season - win and they lift themselves off a share of last place, lose and their finals hopes may be all but dashed. Bowling remains a problem for the Sunrisers, but young leg-spinner Karn Sharma showed promise with 3-17 last time out and will look to repeat the dose on a slow wicket in Ahmedabad. Coach Tom Moody appears to have no opportunity to rest star quicks Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Dale Steyn, even if the latter showed signs of fatigue when being deposited to all corners by fellow South African AB de Villiers last time out.
WHAT THEY SAID
“I just try to pick the best batsman in the team, preferably the one that generally bats at the death and is used to facing yorkers, slower ones and slower bouncers. I try and pair up with him when I can.” – James Faulkner on his pre-game preparation
“It was a nice way to close out a game. That’s what we talk about in our team set up. PT (Pravin Tambe) just keeps going and going, getting big batsmen out all the time. He deserves a pay rise and he is making my life easier for sure. Definitely few things went my way in that over. Hadn’t had much of an impact with the ball, so it was good to get those wickets.” – Shane Watson after defeating Kolkata.
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