Can Sourva Ganguly do it at Eden?

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It’s the eve of the season’s much-awaited clash at the Eden Gardens and the buzz is at an all-time high.

The ‘Prince’ returns to Kolkata with his battalion for a clash at ‘home’ away from his new one in Pune, against a force that not just dethroned him from captaincy, but also caused his expulsion from the unit he was an integral part of.

Sourav Ganguly’s ‘grudge match’ hints a severe test of loyalties for fans who may find themselves stuck between screaming their lungs out for their home team Kolkata Knight Riders and supporting Pune Warriors India, led by their ‘Dada.’

However, given their unsatisfactory show of late with four defeats on the trot, the cheers for Warriors could be fall well short regardless of the hype surrounding this marquee tie. Added to this is the possibility of thunderstorms towards evening that threatens to spoil the entire show.

But taking into account the Warriors’ current form, even the most staunchest of Ganguly fans will keep his fingers crossed over a recap of ‘Dadagiri’ at Eden.

Their job in this perform-or-perish game only gets tougher before an upbeat Knight Riders, who presently are finishing things off to perfection.

Disciplined bowling has been the Knights’ biggest plus point, concealing the shortcomings of their batting that looks to bank on skipper Gautam Gambhir.

On an expected slow, turning track, the Kolkata bowlers would have their tails up against opponents who are languishing at the rear.

But there’s no better stage than Eden for the Warriors captain to rise to the occasion and lead his team’s resurgence.

Ashok Dinda, brought up on pitches here, will also play a crucial role as his initial burst could be instrumental in softening up the KKR top-order and set up a stiff ask for the likes of Manoj Tiwari, Yusuf Pathan and Debabrata Das.

Also, there could be a possibility to bring in Marlon Samuels ahead of Wayne Parnell considering the nature of the wicket.