Calcutta: Sourav Ganguly is running mild temperature and didn’t play in any of the last set of warm-up matches against Free State for Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Brendon McCullum was the nominated captain but since they were back-to-back matches, he didn’t take the field during the second game. Brad Hodge was the on-field captain then.
According to information received here, Bengal’s Sourav Sarkar and Sunny Singh of Haryana will have to return home. The Haryana allrounder was carrying an injury.
Wriddhiman Saha and Cheteshwar Pujara are also injured but will stay back. While Saha underwent surgery on his left thumb, Pujara has hurt his left knee during an intra-Knight Riders match on Monday. Pujara had been in fine form during the warm-up games.
It was learnt Knight Riders’ squad could be as strong as 25 players.
On Tuesday, Knight Riders suffered a last-ball defeat in their first match. Batting first, Knight Riders were bundled out for 140. Free State reached the target with two wickets to spare.
In the second match, Knight Riders made 204, with McCullum and Chris Gayle making 76 each. Free State could manage only 145 for seven in their stipulated 20 overs.
Gayle had joined the Knight Riders’ base in Bloemfontein on Sunday and didn’t play in Monday’s warm-up games. His being among runs should be a welcome sign for the side.
Knight Riders opening match in he Indian Premier League is against Deccan Chargers on Sunday.
Knight Riders had thrashed Free State by nine wickets in the first match. Sourav Ganguly had authored an unbeaten 61.
Meanwhile, according to an agency report from New Delhi, KKR’s lanky pacer Ishant Sharma Tuesday denied supporting cricket manager John Buchanan’s multiple-captaincy idea, saying he favoured single leadership for his team in the second edition of the IPL in South Africa.
Ishant denied comments attributed to him by a television channel that Buchanan’s multiple captaincy idea should be tried if KKR want to improve their performance this season. “I have not said anything in support of the idea. It will be good for the team if we have only one captain. I don’t know how having four captains will work,” Ishant said.
“I don’t know the team strategy. I will know only after I reach South Africa and meet my team members. So, I can’t say anything more, whatever is good for the team I am for it,” Ishant said.
Ishant also refused to pick his favourite team for the IPL. “I can’t say which team is the favourite to win. It depends on the momentum of a team in the tournament. Keeping the winning momentum will be important,” the 20-year-old pacer who leaves for South Africa Wednesday.
Asked whose wicket he would want most to take in the IPL in South Africa, Ishant said: “There are lot many batsmen whose wicket I would want to take. But Sachin Tendulkar’s would be something special. He is legend of the game.”
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