Indian Premier League season five champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Auckland Aces from New Zealand in a Group A encounter of the ongoing Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa. KKR’s campaign did not start they way as they would have expected, they were outplayed in all the departments by their IPL counterparts the Delhi Daredevils.

Nothing clicked for the Shah Rukh Khan owned team and they surrendered meekly in front of the strong Delhi unit. They will be a bit more
confident going into this match than the match against Delhi as the team from Auckland hardly has any superstar in their side. But KKR will be aware of the fact that the IPL teams haven’t had a great start to the tournament as both Chennai and Mumbai went down yesterday.

Auckland played some good cricket in the league stage and will be looking forward to put up a brave show against IPL giants. The conditions will assist them and they would have taken a lot of heart from other teams who dismantled the favored opposition from India.

Let’s have a look at some of the players who can make the difference in today’s match:

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Gautam Gambhir: He was in tremendous form in IPL but has lost his touch since then. Gambhir needs some runs under his belt and this match provides him a perfect opportunity to get his confidence back. KKR depends a lot on Gambhir to provide them with good starts.

Brendon McCullum: He couldn’t do much in the last match and will be itching to have a go at his own countrymen. McCullum will know all about Auckland Aces and will be looking to make a mark in this match. McCullum somehow has not managed to replicate his international form for his franchise and will be looking to change that equation.

Sunil Narine: He was in a good touch against the Delhi Daredevils and was among wickets. Narine was very good in the later-half of the World Cup and finished as the highest wicket-taker. He is coming into the tournament on a high and a lot will depend on how he bowls his four overs.

Brett Lee: He had a good game against Delhi Daredevils and picked the important wicket of Kevin Pietersen. Lee looked in good rhythm and bowled at a good pace. He will once again be the man responsible for getting KKR early wickets.

Auckland Aces:

Lou Vincent: He is one of the most experienced batsmen in the side and a lot will depend on him. Vincent likes taking the attack to the bowlers and his team will be hoping for a good start from him. He can be very effective in the field restriction.

Martin Guptill: He has been one of the most consistent Kiwi batsmen in the recent times and played very well in the qualifiers. He is in good touch and will be hoping to make a mark in this tournament to get an IPL contract. Guptill has the ability to play long innings.

Kyle Mills: He was brilliant in the qualifiers and will lead the attack. The pitches in South Africa have assisted the faster bowlers and Mills will like that. He can make the new ball talk and can deliver some early blows.

Azhar Mahmood: He is one of the most experienced T20 players going around. Mahmood is dangerous with both bat and ball. He bowls at a
good length and can trouble any batsmen on his day. Experience of playing in the last IPL will surely help this wily customer.



By Indian Sports News Network