Daijiworld Media Network

Ranchi, May 12 : A warm welcome to one and all for the crucial encounter between Kolkata and Bangalore from Ranchi. This is a must-win game for both teams. Kolkata have a very slim mathematical chance of qualifying for the knock-outs provided other results also go their way. With Hyderabad winning against Punjab, the onus is on Bangalore to ensure that there is no slip-up.

Kolkata have won the toss and elected to field

Virat Kolhi: 'It was good to get an away win. It was nice to get some runs on the board and everyone contributed, so I am happy. It is pretty tight in the table, but we are not looking into it too much. It is a good wicket to bat on. Hopefully we will put up a good show. We were looking to bowl first as well. Now will have to bat well and put up a good score. Mithun gets his first game this year and Syed Mohammad misses out.'

Gautam Gambhir: 'It's always fun playing in a new venue. Hopefully we will do well here. We want to play some good cricket. We haven't played to our ability and that has let us down. It looks a good wicket. Hopefully it will be good. We will bowl first. Hopefully we will try and chase what they set for us. Morgan and Abdulla are out, Senanayake and Das come in.'

The weather has been pretty awry in Ranchi. It was raining, then it became sunny and again it started to rain. However, the covers are coming off and there should be no delay in proceedings.

Preview:

Their previous meeting was a month ago when visitors Kolkata were blown away by Gayle storm after putting up a modest total. Both teams have come a long way since then. While Kolkata find themselves poised very close to the bottom of the points table, Bangalore are caught in the middle with equal chances of being the top or bottom halves. Kolkata only have a slight chance of making it to the playoffs if they win all of their remaining matches confidently while Bangalore will be keen to win against weak teams and secure their berth before they meet Chennai in the final league match.

Kolkata

The defending champions find themselves in a tough positions just on the verge of being ousted from the tournament. Poor form of most of the top players have left them high and dry with the distinct possibility of reaching the playoffs only by huge wins. Only Gambhir has looked confident while other batsmen have clicked in single games. Particularly, Kallis's form has been worrying. The bowling is even weaker. Kolkata have managed to utilize Sunil Narine well while L Balaji and Rajat Bhatia have looked good in patches. They will need to click as a team if they have to avenge their previous encounter.

In form player: Gautam Gambhir - This hot-headed captain has found ways to channel his aggression and anger through his batting and he has been a ray of hope for the Kolkata team. He got an excellent half-century in the previous match which helped Kolkata post a decent total and then win by a big margin. He will be hoping to play to his strengths as the hosts play for pride on their home turf.

Hit: Ryan ten Doeschate - Coming after a long break, ten Doeschate lived up to his reputation of an intimidating batsman by hitting a quick-fire 31. His antics added some necessary runs in the Kolkata score-card and they will be keen to employ his services as a good all-rounder to battle against Bangalore.

Miss: Manvinder Bisla - Bisla has not performed in a way that was expected of him in this edition of the tournament. Occasionally he has got Kolkata off to a good start but then fizzled out after a couple of overs. Skipper Gambhir will be hoping that Bisla can team up with him and get them going in the beginning itself.

Last three matches: Won against Pune by 46 runs, Lost to Mumbai by 65 runs, Won against Rajasthan by 8 wickets

Bangalore

Bangalore is the stronger team out of these two and they have a better chance of making it to the playoffs on the basis of their good run-rate. Their batting is in an altogether different class with the likes of Gayle, Kohli, ABD and Henriques. Their bowling has been good too with only occasional set-backs. Bangalore will like nothing more than to crush Kolkata and accumulate the required points to climb up the table.

In form player: Virat Kohli - As a captain leading by example, Kohli has been aggressive and unstoppable this season. After a few setbacks in last couple of games, he found form once again taking responsibility of going berserk when the openers failed. He hit a sensational 99 off just 58 balls and lifted the team to a mammoth total.

Hit: Jaidev Unadkat - Had it not been for the spectacular bowling performance of Unadkat, Bangalore would have lost the previous match despite putting up a mountain of runs. Unadkat became only the second bowler for Bangalore in the Indian T20 League to take a 5-wicket haul. He finished on excellent figures of 5/25 by bowling a superb line and length that included variations which confounded the Delhi batsmen. He will looking forward to make an impact against Kolkata and clean up their already struggling batting unit.

Miss: Chris Gayle - Gayle started on a high in this tournament and went on to amass plenty of runs. However, he has been subdued in the last few games not clicking as often as one would have liked. A massive Gayle-storm is due for a long time now and the public will be desperately hoping that this tornado rips apart Kolkata and provides entertainment on Sunday evening.

Last three matches: Won against Delhi by 4 runs, Lost to Punjab by 6 wickets, Won against Pune by 17 runs

Head to Head: 11 matches; Bangalore - 6, Kolkata - 5

Quotes:

L Balaji insists that the Kolkata dressing room is still united and the players enjoyed each others success - We don't play our cricket with desperation and always enjoy our cricket. We enjoy each other's success and stand by each other in times of failures.

CB Pick: Bangalore - The Kohli-Gambhir altercation in the last match drew more attention than the game itself and the second installment of this rivalry will indeed be interesting as both captains will try to exert domination over the other. Expect for some fireworks on field as the visitors will bank on their fiery batting and exceptional bowling to trounce the hosts yet again.