Bangalore, Kolkata sides gear up for IPL show-opener

Bangalore: Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are waiting anxiously to see how the city-based concept fares when the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns in the lung-opener of the multi-million dollar DLF Indian Premier League here tomorrow.Both Dravid and Ganguly, leading the Bangalore and Kolkata outfits respectively, are also new to the Twenty20 format of cricket and are understandably circumspect while commenting on the much-hyped tournament.
"It's a new concept. There will be a stiff competition in this event which has created a big hype with so much buzz around. It will no doubt bring in some freshness into the sport," said Dravid.
"It's fast paced and entertaining. But once the game starts the focus will only be on cricket," he added.
Dravid is waiting to see whether the Indian fans will accept the city-based rivalry with open arms.
"The city concept has not been tried in the game in this country. It's also nice to play along with different players with different cultures in your team," he said.
Dravid's opposite number Ganguly admitted that he could not figure out who was the favourite among the cities because of the nature of the T20 contest.
"There is no clear favourite in the shortest version of the game. Difference between teams lessens in the T20 format as the contest is too short.
"I consider this event as a contest between state sides with world-class players," he said.