Sourav Ganguly, known by many as "the Prince of Calcutta," could prove to be more of a villain for his hometown Thursday as his new Indian Premier League team, Pune Warriors, hosts his old side, the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, fourth in the IPL4 table on 14 points, need one win from their last two matches to secure a place in the next phase of the tournament. But a loss at the D.Y. Patil Stadium tonight would pile on the pressure, leaving Kolkata needing to beat the high-flying Mumbai Indians in the final first round game on May 22, with Kings XI Punjab now breathing down their neck.
Pune Warriors are already out of contention with just eight points after a disappointing run of defeats mid-way through their campaign, before Ganguly came on board. Still, with players such as Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, the team is capable of an upset and Pune – one of the two new franchises to join the IPL this year – will be desperate for the scalp of a big team like Kolkata.
A win for captain Yuvraj would also mean he'd be boosting the chances of his old team, Kings XI Punjab, who need Kolkata to lose if they are to stand a chance of progressing. Yet all [...]