Royal storm to hit Eden Gardens

Kolkata: The Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly knows the time to deliver is now when his team clashes against Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens. Ganguly, who was felicitated at a function in the city by his first captain Mohammad Azharuddin, knows the emotion will have to be left behind now for the task at hand.

"We have three matches to win, only then can we seal a place in the semis," said Ganguly.

The game promises to be a spicy contest. The last time the teams met, Warne and Ganguly had a much publicised spat over the legality of a catch. It ended with both men being fined and plenty of bad blood. So not unexpectedly the verbal volleys were back ahead of the game.

"We will have to play well and do what we have been doing right. Hopefully we will be able to knock them out of the tournament. There will about 10, 000 people behind them but hopefully the people of Kolkata will support us also a little bit," said Warne.

The knight riders have more than warne's verbal jibes to deal with. Shoaib akhtar hobbled off the field on Sunday after a couple of overs and will almost certainly miss out but their tactician-in-chief is looking beyond the concerns.

"We are the underdogs even though it is at home. What I'm looking for is for our boys to be ready physically and mentally," said John Buchanan, coach of Kolkata.

It is a do or die situation for the most glamrous team in the competition and the their clash with the Royals will decide whether they can survive in the tournament or not. The Royals are confident of knocking out the Knight Riders. Now, the only option Ganguly's men have is to perform or perish.

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