Sri Lanka will lock horns against New Zealand in the first Super Eights matchup of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Pallekele on Thursday. Both the teams lost their last matches and would look to start to get back to winning ways and ensure that their campaign stays on a smooth track. Lankans and Kiwis both have strong possibility of making it to the next stage and possess the firepower to blow any team that will come their way.
 

Expect the match to be a cracker and none of the teams enter the match favourites and whichever side plays better will emerge victorious.
 

There are few of the players who would be thick of action in the match and the result of the match in all likelihood would depend on they perform.

Here are few of the players to watch out for
 

Sri Lanka:

Kumar Sangakkara: Sangakkara has shown signs of excellence in this tournament and will lead Sri Lanka’s batting department. Sangakkara is a genuine match winner and the hosts will want him to be in his elements in the match. He has rendered some brilliant knocks when his team wanted and will look to play one such innings today as well. If he gets going, the Kiwis will find it very difficult to stay in the match.
 

Mahela Jayawerdene: The skipper has missed out so far in the tournament, but then his ability in this format of the game needs no introduction. Jayewardene is one of the cleanest hitter of the cricket ball and the way he has changed himself with the requirement of the game is worth praising. Lot will be expected from him and he will be hoping to deliver on those lines
.

Lasith Malinga: Master of destruction, Malinga can rip apart any batting line-up with his toe crushing Yorkers and pace. Wickets in Indian sub-continent do not have much for the speedsters but then he manages to get enough out them. He can derail batsmen at the start of the innings with his yorkers and swing, coming back in the later stages of the innings can create havoc with his reverse swings and slower deliveries. He will hold the key against the likes of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor.
 

Rangana Herath: The spinner is expected to play in place of Ajantha Mendis who is a doubtful starter in the match. He is one of the most experienced bowlers of Sri Lanka and will look to exploit the conditions.
 

New Zealand:
 

Brendon McCullum: He started the tournament with a bang and registered the fastest T20 century ever against Zimbabwe. He was also looking in good touch against Pakistan and will be the key man for Kiwis in the match. When in flow, he can decimate any bowling attack and score at a really fast rate.

Ross Taylor: The skipper will have a very important role to play in this match especially because of his ability to play spin well. He is amongst the few players who looks comfortable against spinners and will look to counter the Sri Lankan spinners in the middle overs and keep the scoreboard ticking.
 
Tim Southee: He has been very successful in the recent times and also had a good outing in the tournament so far. He will be spearheading the Black Caps bowling attack and will look to make some early inroads for his team.
 
Daniel Vettori: Vettori is the most experienced player in the side and one of the best spinners when it comes to T20. He bowls at a very good economy and his ability to break partnerships is what makes him so difficult. He is also very good with bat and his team will want to perform both the duties very effectively in the match
 



By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News Network