Bengal look to continue unbeaten streak

Match facts

Oct 22, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

Ahmedabad Rockets will need more than home support to earn points against table-toppers Royal Bengal Tigers in game No. 15 of the ICL 20-20 Indian Championship. Bengal are unbeaten in the tournament so far but, with the tournament entering its middle stages, Ahmedabad cannot afford to drop many more points after losing their previous match to Lahore Badshahs.

Apart from a resounding nine-wicket win against Mumbai, Ahmedabad's form has been erratic in the tournament. They have had to chase in all four matches but have lost all the three games in which they chose to field. Standalone performances from Reetinder Singh Sodhi against Delhi, and from captain Damien Martyn against Chennai weren't enough and their batsmen failed to chase Lahore's 136 on Sunday.

Bengal are, so far at least, the favourites for the title. Their new signing Hamish Marshall has been a revelation, their captain Craig McMillan has also runs, and their batting line-up looks formidable with players such as Lance Klusener, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Andre Adams. Another key factor for them has been their bowlers, notably Upul Chandana and Abu Nechim, who derailed Mumbai with his 3 for 22.

Players to watch

Jason Gillespie has only four wickets from four matches in the tournament so far and will be keen to make a greater impact with the new-ball for Ahmedabad.

Ryan Campbell is an explosive wicket-keeper batsmen who opens the batting for Ahmedabad. However, he's had three misses out of four innings and will be keen to repeat his innings against Mumbai, when he struck 92 of 57 balls.

Hamish Marshall has had an immediate impact for Bengal, scoring two quick half-centuries in the first three matches. He's not an explosive hitter but has been able to successfully adapt his orthodox technique to the demands of Twenty20 cricket.

Craig McMillan has scored 111 runs at a strike-rate of 150 in the tournament so far and has led his team superbly to three wins out of three matches. He'll be gunning for the fourth tomorrow.

Quotes

"As a senior player with handy international experience I am here to help the Indian players who could later go on and represent their country"
Ahmedabad Rockets bowler Jason Gillespie is keen to play the role of a mentor during his time in the ICL

"Despite being the first year, we completed in the semifinals of all three tournaments last time. We are hoping to pull it off this year"
Allrounder Lance Klusenerbelieves 2008-09 may well be Bengal's season