KOLKATA: A reshuffled team under a new captain, lack of big names and the city’s love for India captain Virat Kohli had drilled a rift into the loyalty base at the
Eden Gardens last Sunday. But pumped up by back-to-back cracking performances,
IPL fans are all set to get behind the home team and shout their lungs out this Saturday as
Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second home game this season.
“In the first match, I was in doubt about Karthik’s captaincy. However, the team has won my heart. While Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana were brilliant in the first game, Andre Russell was at his best in the second match, though we lost. I am thoroughly behind the team now and so are a bunch of my friends, who will go along with me for the match this Saturday,” said Abhishek Raj, who had been cheering for Bangalore last Sunday.
Kolkata’s performance last Sunday has also made Class IX student Sagnik Goswami switch camps. “They were too good. I have become a big fan of this new team and will support them from now on,” said the
Lake Town resident.
With two wins from two matches, Hyderabad are now leading the table but the visitors looked scratchy in a modest chase against Mumbai on Thursday. “They may be leading the table, but form and statistics wise, our team scores over them. We saw how they choked under an effective bowling unit and Kolkata has one of the best bowling units. Batting wise, too, we have an explosive line-up,” said
Siddharth Bothra, a chartered accountant.
The fans are also looking forward to the match for another reason. At least three former Kolkata players will be playing against the home team in Saturday’s match. “It will be fun to see how Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan and Manish Pandey, who have been the backbone of the Kolkata team, fare playing as opponents this time. The match can fire them up and can also make them emotional. Whatever it is, the match is going to be fun,” said Anirban Sengupta, a software engineer.
Eden Garden stands.