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| Related Links Players/Officials: Sourav Ganguly | Chris Gayle | Dav Whatmore Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kolkata Knight Riders | ||
Fake IPL player, multiple captains, doping charges, a sacked coach, perhaps the ugliest uniform (only to be beaten by an even uglier one this year), floodlight failures at Eden Gardens, parties, Bollywood glitz and Shah Rukh Khan. Everything about Kolkata Knight Riders suggests the prototype modern, media-feeding, headline-churning, eyeballs-grabbing team. Except for the success-rate, the worst among the eight teams over two years. In the last season before next year's draft, Kolkata need a strong performance to do away with the caricature image they have acquired.
They have corrected some of the mistakes from the disastrous 2009 season. For starters, they have named one captain - Sourav Ganguly - for the season. In Dav Whatmore they have a coach who has a way with underdog teams. In Chris Gayle they have one of the most explosive openers going around, and this time he should be available for almost the entire season. In Brad Hodge they have the highest run-getter in Twenty20s, in Shane Bond one of the fastest bowlers around, in Charl Langeveldt one of the best during the death, in Ajantha Mendis a freakish spinner who could come good in Twenty20 any time and, in the later half of the season, they have Brendon McCullum. And in Wasim Akram they have a bowling coach capable of bringing out the best in the likes of Bond, Langeveldt and Ishant Sharma.
The international players, though, have not been their major worry. Kolkata's biggest failure has been their inability to get sizeable contributions out of the non-international Indians. Therein lies the biggest test for Sourav Ganguly and Whatmore.
The buzz
Kolkata's hype-creating machinery has been taking it easy this time: fewer advertisements, fewer pictures with Shah Rukh Khan, no controversy over team leadership, no fake IPL player in action either, though his book launches the day before the tournament begins. However, something time-honoured had to be done. Thus arrived the purple-and-gold, tight-fitting team jersey, sponsored by a manufacturing firm whose owners are linked with a controversial murder case.
New faces
Bond was their big buy at the auction and, unlike McCullum who will be playing Tests against Australia, Bond should miss a maximum of two IPL matches. Manoj Tiwary, a prolific Bengal batsman, has been traded in from Delhi, as has Owais Shah, who replaces Moises Henriques. They have also gone for an almost complete overhaul of the domestic players in the team.
Watch out for
Chris Gayle missed the first season completely, and had to leave the second midway for a series not many were interested in. He might miss a game or two this season - West Indies' ODI series against Zimbabwe finishes the day the IPL starts - but he will be itching to make a mark in the matches he plays. If Kolkata are to make a dramatic turnaround, they will need a few of Gayle's specials, the kinds that win matches single-handedly.
Missing in action
McCullum will not be available in March. New Zealand's Test series against Australia ends on March 31, following which he is expected to flown in business class on the first flight India-bound.
X-factor
Angelo Mathews has proved to a useful allrounder for Sri Lanka, and he contributes in every department: batting, bowling, and fielding.
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Strength
The top order: Gayle, Ganguly, Hodge, with the promise of McCullum.
Weakness
The Indian players. It will be the seven Indian players - the likes of Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Manoj Tiwary, and the lesser-known ones - that will make the ultimate difference. Kolkata will need a matchwinner from two out of the seven local players - a performer like Swapnil Asnodkar, Yusuf Pathan or Pragyan Ojha is just what they need.
IPL 2009 - the key figures
Final position: last
Top scorer: Brad Hodge with 365 runs at 40.55 and strike-rate of 117.74
Top wicket-taker: Ishant Sharma with 11 wickets at 27 and economy-rate of 6.9
Best result: Seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings
Worst result: Eight-wicket defeat to Deccan Chargers
Highest team score: 189 v Chennai
Lowest team score: 95 v Mumbai Indians
Prediction for 2010
Deccan Chargers' title triumph last year, after finishing bottom in the first season, gave heart to Kolkata fans but that is probably in the realms of fantasy. A safe bet for Kolkata is a finish in the bottom half.
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