Daijiworld Media Network

Pune, Apr 11 : A warm welcome to one and all for the match between Pune and Rajasthan from Pune. Rajasthan have won their first two matches and they will look for a hat-trick today. Pune need some real inspiration with the bat and they will need to perform better in front of their home fans today.

Pune will be boosted by the return of Yuvraj Singh who missed the previous match due to a sore back. Marlon Samuels will not feature for Pune due to a groin injury.

Rajasthan have won the toss and elected to bat

Mathews: 'We have to get the ball rolling. Our performance last time was depressing. We have to put in an improved performance and we are ready. We have good players. We were a bit too cautious in the last two games. I was unsure what to do if we won the toss. We would have bowled first as the wicket seems a bit two-paced. Marlon Samuels and Manish Pandey are out. Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh are in the team'

Dravid: 'We have played well as a team. It was nice to win a couple of close games. We are yet to play our best game. We have done our research on all the pitches. The pict has played a bit slow and low. The pitch has some grass and sheen and it will play a bit better. We will bat first. The pitch will get slower as the game progresses. It is still early days in the tournament and we need to be on a roll. There are a couple of niggles and injuries. Watson, Tait and Rahul Shukla miss out. Harmeet Singh, James Faulkner and Kushal Janith Perera are in the team.'

Teams:

Pune (Playing XI): Robin Uthappa(w), Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh(c), Tirumalsetti Suman, Ross Taylor, Abhishek Nayar, Angelo Mathews, Mitchell Marsh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda

Rajasthan (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane, Kushal Janith Perera, Rahul Dravid(c), Brad Hodge, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny, Dishant Yagnik(w), Kevon Cooper, Siddharth Trivedi, S Sreesanth, Harmeet Singh

Preview:

Going by just the names on paper for each team, you would be forgiven if you believe that Pune are the team sitting 3rd and Rajasthan are the bottom placed team after the first week. Strangely though, as is common in cricket, the underdogs have come up trumps and start as unlikely favourites. Rahul Dravid's men have continued to surprise and have carried forward the traits left by Shane Warne.

Rajasthan will take Pune lightly only at their own peril. A team boasting of one of the most talented batting orders in the tournament needs just one game to turn things around. Dravid and co will be hoping that it does not happen to be against them.

Pune:

Team News: The hosts will be bolstered by the return of Yuvraj Singh, who missed their previous outing due to an injury. However, Marlon Samuels will be unavailable due to a groin injury. The form of openers Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa is also a cause of concern.

Hit: There is nothing much to say about Pune on this front. Pressed to pick a positive, Rahul Sharma's legspin has been a source of limited joy. The spinner has had a tumultuous year after being involved in an alleged drug abuse case. On the field he has quietly slipped back into the role of picking wickets and keeping things tight.

Miss: Manish Pandey came into the spotlight as one of India's brightest batting talents but has faded away rather quickly since. It might not be long before Pune try out other options if Pandey fails to live up to his promise. If the previous matches are any indication then it looks highly unlikely that the youngster will be given a lot of games over the season.

Team form:

With two losses in two games, Pune have no form to show for. They will be very eager to turn things around though and will have to carry that forward into the game.

Probable foreign four: Angelo Mathews, Ross Taylor, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh.

Rajasthan:

They have looked very sharp on the field and the presence of a lot of utility cricketers led by the affable Rahul Dravid has helped Rajasthan immensely so far. They will be keen on continuing their good work.

In form player: Kevon Cooper With 6 wickets in the first two games and for his ability to deliver the goods at the death, when it matters the most, Kevon Cooper has been a steal for Rajasthan. The West Indian has proved that his exploits last year was not just a flash in the pan. He has been one of the unlikeliest heroes so far of the Indian T20 league.

Hit: Stuart Binny has shown a penchant for the big hits. Rahul Dravid's Karnataka state-mate has given some much needed fire-power for Rajasthan in the middle order. Add his abilities with the ball to this and Roger Binny's son has all that it takes to become a star in his own right in this format.

Miss: Shane Watson has played only one game in this season but his batting against Kolkata inspired no confidence. Australia's newest Test captain seemed jittery and a pale shadow of what he was when he first burst into the scenes in the Indian T20 league. He too will be searching for that one good innings that could turn his fortunes around.

Team form: Having won both their games so far, Rajasthan have the confidence and momentum behind them.

CB's pick: Going by current form and past form, Rajasthan begin as overwhelming favourites. They have won two on a trot this year and have won all the 3 previous meeting between the two teams. That they have done it without any contribution from their most influential player, Watson, makes them only doubly dangerous. For once they will be shedding their tags of underdogs and will start the game on par, or even slightly ahead.