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Nothing to lose for Knight Riders

Our task on Sunday is to make Punjab look ahead to the semifinals with a little unease, writes John Buchanan

The saying goes, “When it rains, it pours!” Well, Delhi certainly put meaning to that phrase. The ground at Ferozshah Kotla had been subject to quite a bit of rain the previous few days, and the morning of the game was not too promising either.

But as the morning brightened so did prospects of play and the spirits of both teams as it was a must-win game for the Knight Riders. But the game was also vital for Delhi.

We were ready for the showdown, even though previous results may not have indicated that to be the case. We had a full list to choose from, though some doubt remained over the fitness of Murali Karthik and Shoaib Akhtar.

Team meeting

A good team meeting where players spoke of what they could control and how, plus another professional presentation from our analyst put us on the bus with at least all the planning we needed.

However, one thing we had not prepared for, was first, we were blocked by security surrounding the Sultan of Brunei who was returning to the hotel. This cavalcade held up traffic for some 10 minutes.

Next we were engaged in what seemed to be a complete shutdown of traffic as we approached the stadium. A combination of wet weather, a sold out stadium and traffic chaos threatened to have us late for the game.

In the end the traffic cleared but the rain did not. We watched ground staff toil manfully for a couple of hours before it was decided that there was no chance of play.

So that decision exited us from the competition. Our game against Mohali will have little bearing upon their place in the semifinals save for the fact that a win or a loss will help determine which team they will play.

I note Shane Warne has already voiced his concerns over the Mumbai Indians making the semifinals. It is the first time I have heard anything but confidence ooze from the Royals camp.

Our task

Our task on Sunday is to make Punjab look ahead to the semifinals with a little unease. With nothing to lose but pride, the Knight Riders can attack the Kings XI with bat and ball. The Mohali team just eased past Deccan on Friday, and will have only one more game after ours to secure the position they would prefer in the semifinals.

This will be our farewell game for 2008 to Eden Gardens, the fans, the sponsors and to all those who have followed IPL from around the world. I know we will not want to disappoint.

I know we would like to know that we have beaten the team which is ranked second on the points table, prior to the semifinals. And I know the Kolkata fans will want to be part of one last night of entertainment featuring Shah Rukh Khan and his team.

Gameplan

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