Durban, April 22: Defending champions Rajasthan Royals will seek a quick turnaround in their fortunes, while the rejuvenated Kolkata Knight Riders would want to carry on the winning momentum when the two sides clash in their Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

Without big stars in their ranks, the Royals have a tough task on hand. Shane Warne’s side started their campaign by restricting Bangalore Royal Challengers to just 133 with the legendary spinner leading from the front but that total proved to be a mountain for the Royals as they were bundled out for just 58, the second lowest IPL total. Rajasthan’s youngsters failed to get the measure of another legendary figure in Anil Kumble who throttled them with a five-wicket haul. They would be itching to leave behind that nightmare by coming good against the Knight Riders who have been far from exceptional.

They, though, did get over their first match disappointment with a nine-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday. West Indian Chris Gayle exhibited his awesome batting prowess while Sourav Ganguly rolled his golden arm over to great effect to compensate for his batting failure in the first match.

Skipper Brendon McCullum insisted that all was well in KKR camp after the captaincy row. "It was a nice result after the first match defeat and we bounced back at the right time to gain some momentum. Sourav bowled exceptionally well. In Twenty20 one has to think quickly and I am happy that my decision to bowl him paid rich dividends," he said.

More than the outcome of the match, it will be an intriguing contest between Warne and Gayle. — PTI

***

‘Strategy breaks to continue’

Durban, April 22: Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi has admitted that the ‘strategy breaks’ in the ongoing second season have not gone down too well with a section of players but insisted that the experiment will continue.

The seven-and-half-minute break at the end of every 10 overs has been criticised for slowing down the pace of the game with some players complaining that it was also disturbing their rhythm. Modi said he was aware of the issues raised by players and would consider the suggestions.

"Some players feel one way and others feel the other. We will evolve over the time. Some players want two-minute breaks like in America. We are going to test it out and see," Modi told a news channel.

Organisers claim that the strategy breaks were introduced this season to allow teams time to make their plans in the middle of the game. But critics argue that the breaks were meant to increase revenue by giving away slots to advertisers.

— PTI