Johannesburg: Adam Gilcrist's Deccan Chargers would look to close in on a semi-final spot in the Indian Premier League when they take on no-hopers Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wanderers on Saturday.
Chargers with six wins from 11 matches are perched at the fourth position with 12 points. A win on Saturday can put them at third position, displacing Rajasthan Royals, who have 13 points from their 12 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who are at the bottom of the points table, are already out of the semi-final race with nine losses and a solitary win. They have mere three points from their 11 matches.
Chargers with their strong batting and bowling are favourites to win the clash, but Knight Riders can be party spoilers.
The Chargers, who, in skipper Adam Gilchrist's words, "committed cricket suicide" in their 12-run loss to Delhi Daredevils, will be looking to redeem some confidence against the Kolkata side.
The Chargers's batsmen will be raring to attack Knight Riders' weak bowling attack, that barring Ishant Sharma, has been off-colour.
The only time the two teams met in the tournament, Chargers emerged winners with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory.
The Knight Riders campaign has gone awry right from day one and understandably the team's morale is at the nadir. With nothing to lose, the Kolkata side might be looking to salvage some pride before they take a flight out of South Africa.
Match facts
Saturday May 16, 2009 (day/night)
Start time 04.30pm, 14.30GMT, 08:00pm IST