MIND GAME John Buchanan

The saying goes, “When it rains, it pours!” Well, Delhi certainly put meaning to that phrase. The ground at the Kotla had been subject to quite a bit of rain in the previous few days, and the morning of the game was not too promising either.

But as the morning brightened, so did prospects of play and the spirits of both teams as it was a must-win game for the Knight Riders. But the game was also vital for the DareDevils as they currently lie fourth, one point ahead of Mumbai Indians but the Indians have two games in hand.

We were ready for the showdown even though previous results may not have indicated that to be the case. We had a full list to choose from, though some doubts remained over the fitness of Murali Kartik and Shoaib Akhtar. A good team meeting, where players spoke of what they could control and how, plus another professional presentation from our analyst put us on the bus with at least all the planning we needed.

However, we were faced with one thing we had not been prepared for — we were blocked by the security surrounding the Sultan of Brunei who was returning to the hotel. This cavalcade held up traffic for some 10 minutes. Imagine the Knight Riders being made to wait for one of the wealthiest and most influential persons in the world!!

Next, we were engaged in what seemed to be a complete shutdown of traffic as we approached the stadium. A combination of wet weather, a sold out stadium and traffic chaos threatened to have us late for the game. In the end the traffic cleared but the rain did not. We watched the ground staff toil manfully for a couple of hours before it was decided that there was no chance of play.

So that decision led to our exit from the competition. Our game against Kings XI Punjab will have little bearing upon their place in the semi-finals save for the fact that a win or a loss will help determine which team they will play.

Shane Warne has already voiced his concerns over the Mumbai Indians making the semi-finals and what an advantage it will be.

It is the first time I have heard anything but confidence ooze from the Royals camp, and I think it is a sign of things to come over the next few days as all teams apart from the Royal Challengers, the Deccan Chargers, and us jostle for positions within the top four.

Our task on Sunday is to make the Kings XI look ahead to the semi-finals with a little unease.

With nothing to lose but pride, the Knight Riders can attack the Kings XI with bat and ball.

The Punjab team just eased past the DareDevils on Friday and will have only one more game after ours to secure the position they would prefer in the semi-finals.

This will be our farewell game for 2008 to Eden Gardens, the fans, the sponsors and to all those who have followed IPL from around the world. We will not want to disappoint.

We would like to beat the team which is ranked second on the points table, prior to the semis. And I know the city fans will want to be part of one last night of entertainment featuring Shah Rukh Khan and his team.