Ganguly, Gul puncture Punjab's run

n today's second match of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL), the Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Kings XI Punjab. Punjab had already qualified for the semi-finals, and Kolkata were already out of reckoning for the same. Yuvraj Singh won the toss and decided to bat first on a slow wicket at the Eden Gardens, as he had two spinners to exploit the slowness in Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar.

The Kolkata Knight Riders got in their secret weapon - mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis, whereas James Hopes and Irfan Pathan made their way back in place of Luke Pomersbach and Gagandeep Singh.

Shaun Marsh and James Hopes opened the innings for the Punjab team, and got them off to a flier. Umar Gul, who usually likes to bowl at the death, bowled the first over for five, but Ishant Sharma at the other end was thrashed for 16 - including five wides - to take Punjab to 21/0. Ganguly immediately got Ishant out of the attack, and introduced Mendis into the attack. He cost only three in his first, but ten in his next, as he was hit for a couple of boundaries by the man in superlative touch, Marsh. However, Gul managed to get one through Hopes' defences, getting him LBW. Inshant Sharma bowled the last over of the Power Play, but conceded 10 runs, as the Kings XI reached 47/1 in 6 overs.

Ganguly tried all possible combinations of bowling. He got in Ashok Dinda, but he went for ten runs; Laxmi Ratan Shukla was smashed for 23 in his two; whereas Hussey bowled reasonably well but still went for over eight an over. Punjab were 82/1 at the halfway stage, and 104/1 in 12, and it was only when Marsh tried to go over the top off the bowling of Mendis that Kolkata finally broke through. The young Aussie gone for 40.

However that did not stop Kumar Sangakkara from lashing out at every loose - and not-so-loose - delivery that came his way. He brought up his fifty in fine style, carving one over the extra-cover, and hit another four and six off Gul, before finally getting caught in front of the stumps. Sangakkara's 64 came off only 45 deliveries. That did not deter the scoring rate though, as Mahela Jayawardena and Yuvraj Singh continued from where Sangakkara had left off. If the 16th and 17th over cost 14 in all, then Ishant Sharma's fourth and the 18th of the innings went for 16 runs. However, Dinda and Gul made sure that the Kings would not reach anywhere near the 200 they could have after the kind of start they had, and Punjab ended with 174/6 in 20 overs.

Chasing 175 for the win, Knight Riders' skipper Sourav Ganguly opened the innings with Salman Butt and his intentions were absolutely clear. Ganguly hit the last couple of deliveries of Irfan Pathan's first over for fours, which were vintage Ganguly shots - a pull and a cover drive to the fence. Inspired by this, Butt followed suit as he too smashed a couple of boundaries - again off Pathan - and then Ganguly followed it up with a six and a four in a Powar over. It was only in the sixth over of the innings that Punjab pulled back - Kolkata were 45/0 in 5 - when Sreesanth first got Butt caught off the slow leg-spinner that he bowls these days. Debabrata Das walked in but lasted only a ball, caught plumb in front of the wicket for a duck, and Sreesanth was on a hat-trick. David Hussey staved off the hat-trick ball and then cut one to the boundary as Kolkata reached 51/2 in 6 overs.

If these two wickets slowed down the scoring, then Chawla's wicket of Hussey, and Shukla's wicket scalped by VRV Singh shocked them into submission. Ganguly was still at the crease, but was struggling with his touch against the slower bowling of Powar and Chawla, as Kolkata limped to 78/4 in 11 overs.

78/4 soon became 104/5 and then 106/6 as Pathan, Hopes and VRV Singh all bowled some very tight overs for Punjab. With 71 needing off 30 deliveries, Umar Gul continued his bowling form and smacked two big sixes in the Hopes over. This, in more ways than one, inspired Ganguly too, who then danced down the track to Chawla to send the ball into the crowds twice, with a four sandwiching the two sixes. All of a sudden the Knight Riders needed 39 in the last three overs, a distinct possibility if Ganguly stayed on.

Ganguly did stay on, but it was Umar Gul who smashed Sreesanth for 16 runs in the 18th over to reduce the target to 23 runs in the last two overs. Gul was caught at the boundary, Ganguly hit the next delivery for four, but a good over by VRV Singh ensured that 15 runs were needed off the last over. Irfan Pathan bowled the last over but could not prevent Ganguly from hitting a six, a couple and another six to level scores, and then a single to win the match for the Knight Riders. Ganguly's unbeaten match-winning 86, had come off 53 balls and had six 6s and an equal number of fours.

Umar Gul won the Player of the Match award, for his four wickets and twenty four valuable runs - although it was a case of too little too late for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise!