KOLKATA, CHENNAI WON’T WANT SURPRISES

Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinners must be licking their lips in anticipation as they take on Rajasthan Royals in their final group game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium today.

With Mumbai Indians breathing down their necks, Kolkata need to win against Rajasthan and make it a mammoth task for the defending champions to enter the playoff stage as the fourth team.

Kolkata could not have asked for a better venue as the new Sharjah pitch is very bowler friendly and the last few matches have produced paltry scores considering the T20 scheme of things.

Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan are capable of spinning a web around the inexperienced Rajasthan batting lineup. Another positive news for Knight Riders is that ace West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell has resumed training after recovering from a hamstring injury. His return could not have come at a better time with Kolkata desperate for the two points to retain fourth position.

In the earlier match in Dubai, Super Kings will take on the inconsistent Punjab Kings in a bid to end their two-match losing run in the final stages of the league.

After booking their place in the playoffs, Chennai’s stunning run ended at the hands of Rajasthan and they also suffered a narrow loss to Delhi Capitals. Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni must be aware that the Yellow Lions need to win the game against Punjab to regain the winning momentum ahead of qualifiers. It should be just another day at the office for Kolkata and Chennai. But the IPL, historically, is known to throw up surprises. Should we brace for more?