Today’s second match in the IPL was of no great importance in the standings. Punjab were already guaranteed a place in the semi-finals; Kolkata had no chance. But the Prince of Kolkata is a very proud and very combative man. The one thing you could bet on was that Sourav Ganguly was going to go down fighting. Besides, there was Bollywood pride at stake – Preity Zinta against Shah Rukh Khan. This was a game that was going to be hard fought.

The Kings XI batted first, with Marsh and Sangakkara doing their usual good work at the top of the order. A total of 174 was going to take some getting, especially against the Punjab bowling attack. And so it seemed for a long time. Most of the Knight Riders’ batting went cheaply. Sreesanth and Chawla again picked up wickets. But Ganguly would not give up, and eventually he got help. Umar Gul came in with the score on 106-6, and immediately smashed James Hopes for two big sixes. Ganguly then took a hand. Off three overs Chawla had figures of 2-18, but his fourth doubled the run tally as Ganguly smashed him all around the park. Gul then set about Sreesanth’s final over; another 14 runs on the board. VRV Singh was a little cannier, tempting Gul into a lofted shot that dropped into Powar’s hands. And eventually it came down to just the ending that the Bollywood scriptwriters would have wanted: 15 to win off the last over, and Ganguly on strike. This being Bollywood, there was no doubt about the outcome. Two more huge sixes, with a two in between, and the Kolkata captain was able to hit the winning run and ride off into the sunset. His team was out, but he had fought to the last.

From the Royals point of view, of course, it is good to see the Kings’ confidence get a bit of a shaking prior to the playoffs.