Hyderabad hold the edge

Ahmedabad: Hyderabad Heroes have topped the table but now face a tough test when they face Royal Bengal Tigers in the second semifinals at the Sardar Patel Stadium here on Tuesday.
No doubt, as table-toppers, the Heroes start favourites and they may also hold a slight psychological edge going into the match as they beat the Bengal team fair and square when they met last just couple of days ago.But that was a different scenario as both teams had very little to play for having already qualified for the semifinals. That the Heroes have just lost two matches shows that they have an all-round team for this format of the game. And that is reiterated by the fact that South African Nicky Boje tops the batting average for the team. The rest have not done too badly either.
On the other hand, the Royal Bengal Tigers have shown too much dependence on their top-order. And Hamish Marshall s form has been a real boost to Craig McMillan and Co.
Both teams are on even ground but going by past records both teams have shown a pattern in defeat. Heroes two defeats have resulted while chasing and Bengal have lost thrice while defending. So if history is anything to fall back upon, one can make what Heroes skipper Chris Harris and McMillan will decide if they call the coin correctly on Tuesday.