Royal threat for Kochi Tuskers Kerala

JAIPUR: It is not often that visiting teams start as favourites at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, which has often been termed as Rajasthan Royals' fortress. Kochi Tuskers Kerala, though, have everything going in their favour as they take on the Royals on Sunday.
Kochi come into the game on the back of three successive victories while the Royals have lost three out of their last four games, which includes a washout against Royal Challengers Bangalore.The Shane Warne-led side has been inconsistent too, leaking 195 runs against Kings XI Punjab, following their abysmal showing at the Eden, where they were shot out for just 81.
Royals seem to be relying more on individual brilliance than all-round effort to see them through. Shane Watson, Ross Taylor and Shaun Tait are proven match-winners but they just haven't fired in unison. Apart from promoting Johan Botha to No 3, all moves that Warne has tried have backfired.
Both Siddharth Trivedi and Stuart Binny looked at sea against Kings XI. Even Warne had an off day, conceding 51 off his four overs. With the exception of Tait, and to an extent, Warne, none of the bowlers have looked menacing so far.
Botha's injury has further depleted their meagre bowling resources. It won't be a bad idea to give paceman Pankaj Singh a go, considering the fact that he one of the star performers for champions Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy.
Their opening combination is far from settled, with three different pairs being tried in six-match campaign so far. Only Ashok Menaria has shown teeth for a fight so far, amassing 104 from four innings. Royals need to have Watson opening the innings, with Taylor and Menaria facing the bulk of the bowling in the middle-order to put Tuskers under pressure.
On the other hand, the visitors have no such worries. Mahela Jayawardene has led the side brilliantly, utilizing his resources to perfection in wins over Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers. Tuskers have relied on Jayawardene and Brendon McCullum for brisk starts, with the likes of Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Brad Hodge contributing in the middle-order.
Their bowling has enough depth and variety to trouble the Royals. Paceman Vinay Kumar and RP Singh have combined well, with Muttiah Muralitharan and Jadeja chipping in with timely breakthroughs. Royals know they need to put up their best performance thus far to get past the in-form Tuskers but whether they have enough skill to complement their will, would only be known on Sunday.