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Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly’s popularity in his own city, which has never had a cricketing icon of his stature, seems to have some competition ever since Shah Rukh Khan — the undisputed king of Bollywood — bought the franchise of the Kolkata Knight Riders.
While one has to wait until June 1 to find out if it turns out to be the winning combination, the presence of the pair is at least likely to ensure that the stands will not go empty when they play their home games at the massive amphitheatre of Eden Gardens.
Beyond the hype, the Knight Riders do have an explosive combination of some of the biggest names of the game, along with a fair sprinkling of exciting state-level players.
While the presence of Ganguly and Aussie captain Ricky Ponting in the same colours looks more out of a cricket romantic’s wish-list, the one person who can actually turn such contests on their head is Windies skipper Chris Gayle.
Gayle is capable of giving the team the right start towards a total in the region of 200 with some audacious shots through the line, and it will be quite a sight if he and Ganguly come out to open the innings.
The presence of Ponting, David Hussey and the hard-hitting Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, is enough to boost the middle order, while there are a few customers deep down — such as Ajit Agarkar and Laxmiratan Shukla, who are also capable of giving the ball a whack.
While Shoaib Akhtar’s ban may not be good news for the promoters of the team, the buzz is Australia’s Mitchell Johnson has already been sounded out to step into his place.
In that case, Ishant Sharma, Indian cricket’s new kid on the block, will lead the pace attack in the company of Umar Gul, Agarkar and Shukla.
Gayle and Sourasish Lahiri, a tall off-spinner from Bengal, can take care of the slow bowling department.
Sport Extra prediction: They are potential finalists.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Owner: Red Chillies Entertainment, owned by Shah Rukh Khan.
Bought for: $75.09 million (Dhs 275m)
Designated player: Sourav Ganguly
Most expensive player: Ishant Sharma (Ind) $950,000
(Dhs 3.4m)
Coach: John Buchanan
Squad: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Ricky Ponting, David Hussey, Chris Gayle, Ishant Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Iqbal Abdullah, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, W. Prasanta Saha, Rohan Banerjee, Debabrata Das, Saurasish Lahiri, L.R. Shukla, Yashpal Singh, Brendon McCullum, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul, Tatenda Taibu, Shoaib Akhtar.
Player to watch: Chris Gayle
The West Indies skipper, who still possesses an aura of the arrogance that their cricket was all about, could be the one to watch. A Gayle in full flow has had the headline writers resorting to the word ‘Gaylestorm’ so many times that it has become a cliche.
His ability to tear apart any form of attack, often through the aerial route, can drive the rival skipper into desperation, while his tight off-spin bowling can be extremely difficult to counter.
Fixture List
April 18 Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore
April 20 Deccan Chargers Kolkata
April 26 Chennai Super Kings Chennai
April 29 Mumbai Indians Kolkata
May 1 Rajasthan Royals Jaipur
May 3 Kings XI Punjab Mohali
May 8 Bangalore Royal Challengers Kolkata
May 11 Deccan Chargers Hyderabad
May 13 Delhi Daredevils Kolkata
May 16 Mumbai Indians Mumbai
May 18 Chennai Super Kings Kolkata
May 20 Rajasthan Royals Kolkata
May 22 Delhi Daredevils Delhi
May 25 Kings XI Punjab Kolkata
May 30 First Semi-Final Mumbai
May 31 Second Semi-Final Mumbai
June 1 Final Mumbai
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