With the Chennai Super Kings booking themselves a place in the IPL 2013 finals, the Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad will be keen to move one step closer to the showpiece final at the Eden Gardens, when the two sides clash in the Eliminator at the Feroz Shah Kotla Wednesday.
The side that lose this match will immediately be knocked out of the tournament, while the winner faces the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 for a place in the final.
Both the Rajasthan Royals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad have punched above their weight this season and done exceedingly well to finish third and fourth respectively.
The Sunrisers got to the playoffs with a thrilling win against KKR in their last league game, and Shikhar Dhawan, who played a big part in the win, believes it is the team ethic of the new side which has helped them reach the final four of IPL 2013.
"It is a great feeling to be in the knockouts," he told IPL's official website. "It is our first year and we have made it to the playoffs when not many gave us a chance. At the moment, it is amazing to see our name in the top four.
"I believe the reason we have succeeded as a group is because this team is not about any individual. We all gel together and enjoy each other's success. We stuck to our plans, executed them well and played good cricket."
The Sunrisers will again bank on their bowling, which has pretty much been the biggest factor in them reaching the playoffs this season.
"We have a lethal bowling attack with Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma adding firepower in the beginning and at the death, and we have quality spinners like Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma who thrive in pairs in the mid-innings," Dhawan said. "We have a similar logic with respect to our batting too."
The Royals, who have endured a tough time following the arrest of three of their players - S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila - for spot-fixing will start as slight favorites, and a lot of the neutrals will be backing Rahul Dravid to end this season on a high.
The Royals' leading wicket taker James Faulkner was all praise for Dravid. "I have really enjoyed playing with each and every player in the team so far, and playing under Rahul Dravid, who has been brilliant," he said.
"Dravid has thrown the ball at me at different situations and I am glad that I have come out with success on most occasions. I am looking forward to finishing on a high and as a team I am confident we can finish off the tournament playing well."
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