Knights back in the saddle

Long after the game had ended and the post match presentation was over,Sourav Ganguly was still smiling in the Kolkata Knight Riders dug out as his jubilant team mates chuckled and gave each other high-fives....

Long after the game had ended and the post match presentation was over,Sourav Ganguly was still smiling in the Kolkata Knight Riders dug out as his jubilant team mates chuckled and gave each other high-fives.

After three defeats in a row following a win-win start,Ganguly & Co. were back on track,that too in style. The Knight Riders posted 183 their highest total so far in IPL III bowled in the right areas,were athletic in the field,and held on to the catches that came their way. The result: a 39-run victory that not only gave them two vital points but improved their run rate as well,as they climbed up two spots to fifth on the points table.

If everything clicked for the visitors on Saturday,the opposite was true for the home team. With Yuvraj Singh struggling again to convert the start and skipper Kumar Sangakkara failing to inspire with the bat or the tactics,Punjab succumbed to their fifth defeat in six matches. And while Kolkata revived their campaign in todays match,the semi-final doors are all but shut for the Mohali-based team.

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It started with Ganguly winning the toss and opting to bat. Brett Lee,playing his first match for the Kings XI this season bowled fast but erratic as he went for 19 runs in the first over. And even though the danger man,Chris Gayle,went early,the Knight Riders had enough aces up their sleeves. Ganguly forged a partnership with Manoj Tiwary as the duo scored at a brisk pace.

Ganguly smashed six fours and one six in his 40-ball 50 while Tiwary went on a rampage in the last few overs to finish with an unbeaten 75 off just 47 balls.

It was some clean hitting and not just mindless throwing of the bat at the ball,as Tiwary took Punjab bowlers to the cleaners. His best came in Irfan Pathans last over when he scored 21 runs to take the Knight Riders to 183 for 5.

Chasing 184 again they were set a similar target by the Rajasthan Royals in the last game,and lost the hosts opened with Yuvraj Singh and he showed glimpses of his old self in his 16-ball 24. Just as he looked all set for a big one,he was done in by a stunning Tiwary catch. The team just couldnt recover from there.