Big picture

 

The dull one-sided World Cup final raised that question yet again: What does it take to stop the Australians from being the ruthless Australians? The answer is probably hidden in the question itself - Australians.

Just two weeks after that final, the match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, two teams that traditionally embody the Australian-ness in the IPL more than the rest, presents the mouth-watering prospect of seeing players from the World Cup winning side lock their horns.

Will Mitchell Johnson pepper Shane Watson with bouncers? How will George Bailey, one of Australia's recent captains, go about setting a field for Steven Smith, the new leader? What variations will James Faulkner throw at that maverick Glenn Maxwell? Any of those contests could become the defining one of the match. And then there is the wider clash of two Australian traits too - Kings XI's all-out aggression v Royals' indomitable spirit.

There will be other actors in this production too. The match pits India's two most successful batsmen from the last year against each other - M Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, two rising stars - Axar Patel and Sanju Samson, two lespinners with plenty in common - Pravin Tambe and Yogesh Golwalkar, and two Delhi stalwarts - Virender Sehwag and Rajat Bhatia.

That the match is Kings XI's home game hardly matters. The venue, Pune, is closer to Jaipur (by approximately 500 km) than to Chandigarh. The pitch used to be a dull surface but if the evidence of past two seasons of first-class cricket is anything to go by, this should be a hard, flat surface that the batsmen will relish, but might also provide something for the seamers. Does that sound like Australia?

 

Watch out for…

 

Karun Nair was not the first-choice opener for Royals last season, but once he was given the opportunity, he racked up 330 runs from 11 matches at a strike rate of 142.24. He is coming into the season on the back of a career-best 328 last month in the Ranji Trophy. Although his form dipped during the domestic T20s, playing for Royals affords him the same visibility that propelled Ajinkya Rahane, his opening partner, into the national reckoning.

Just when you thought Virender Sehwag was slowing down, the sails have caught some more wind. Since January, he has scored 514 runs in 10 innings, and consecutive centuries in the Ranji Trophy. Sehwag may have slowed down for the rigours of international cricket, but those hands are still quick enough for the IPL. Once he starts moving, there is never a dull moment, as Chennai Super Kings found out in the play-offs last year.

 

Stats and trivia

 

 

• Only two Indian batsmen have scored more than one century in the IPL. Both of them are with Kings XI - Virender Sehwag and M Vijay
• Glenn Maxwell's first three innings in the IPL last year were 95, 89 and 95, coming off 43, 45 and 43 deliveries respectively. The second one of those helped Kings XI chase down Royals' 191 comfortably, in 18.4 overs
• Steven Smith scored 147 runs in seven innings for Royals last season. In the World Cup, he scored 402 in the same number of innings
• 9.74 - James Faulkner's economy in IPL 2014. He was Royals' most expensive bowler last season

 

 

Quotes

 

"We have players from the team that won the World Cup here. After enjoying the week that we spent at home celebrating (the success in the World Cup), we are all ready and fresh to go at the IPL."
Shane Watson, the Rajasthan Royals captain

"I don't know what to say, my family will be watching and it's an embarrassing situation. Also, friends are bound to tease us."
A Kings XI player, on the name of their sponsor, a condom manufacturer, on the back of their shirts