IPL 2009 News & Updates | IPL 2009 Videos Highlights, match dates and timings

The pink city of Jaipur is all set to witness a battle of wits between Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly when the Rajasthan Royals meet the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL tie at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Thursday.

The Rajasthan Royals, tagged underdogs before the start of the meet, are on a roll. Coach-cum-captain Shane Warne has turned the team into a well-knit side. “We are waiting for our fourth straight victory on Thursday,” Warne said. Though Warne refused to name his final eleven, Dmitri Mascarenhas, the only English cricketer in the IPL, is expected to replace Sohail Tanvir.

Warne has transformed his team from underdogs to frontrunners and hopes to continue the winning streak against the Knight Riders who have performed well below expectations in their losses to Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians.

There’s no doubt Sourav and Warne will hold the key to any excitement this match could generate. They will need to come good in their respective departments to make an impact.

With little time in hand to get used to scorching heat and ground conditions, the visitors may find the going tough in a day match. They are also hit by the loss of overseas players like New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who are leaving for their national assignments.

The form of Knight Riders' skipper Sourav Ganguly has also been a worrying factor and he has failed to make any impression so far. West Indian Chris Gayle apparently has also not recovered from his injury. The Knight Riders, however, will be strengthened by the inclusion of Salman Butt and Brad Hodge, their two new foreign recruits. PTI

Rajasthan probable Team: Graeme Smith, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson, Mohammad Kaif, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Salunkhe, Shane Warne (capt), Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel.

Kolkata probable Team: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Salman Butt, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Mohammad Hafeez, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda.