It was the most hyped match of the Indian Premier League season V. It was the first time the crowd in Eden Gardens saw Sourav Ganguly taking the field as a captain for the away side. But the fact that Ganguly was playing for the other rather side than the local team did not stop the crowd stop them from supporting Dada and it looked a little Pune descended in Eden. While the gesture shown to the local legend was sweet but then it would have been much sweeter had Pune won it.
A match which went till the hilt amused one and all at last saw Gambhir and Co walk out victorious. Pune looking well poised to win the match however lost fizz at the end to lose the match by seven runs.
Here are some of the performances that determined the course of the match:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Hits:
Gautam Gambhir: Gambhir is on a roll in this tournament. He played one more match winnings.He was on fire first up and took PWI bowlers to the cleaners. He scored 56 of 42 deliveries which was laced with four boundaries and two sixes.
Merchant de Lange: de Lange bowled with immense grit and determination. He played important role to arrest the run flow and also took important breakthroughs to stop allow PWI to break free. He returned with figure of 3 for 34 in four overs.
Flops
Middle order batsmen: They were like a disaster on the field. After skipper Gambhir gave them a good start and helped his side reach 98 in 10 overs, he did not see anyone take up the responsibility to carry on with the momentum.
Pune Warriors India:
Duo of Ganguly and Matthews: They met after PWI’s middle order disappointed the team. They played together and were looking composed. They batted well and looked like they would them all the way. They could not do it but still gave KKR some tense moments. Ganguly scored 36 (35b, four fours and a six) and Matthews 35 (27b, three sixes).
Flops:
Top order batsmen: They required a good performance and the target of 150 would have looked seemingly small to chase. But they collapsed like nine pins and the match that very much looked in their favor eventually saw them lose by seven runs.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Indian Sports News
