In the last season, thanks mainly to Buchananism, he was reduced to the size of an outsider: he could only watch in dismay, along with his myriad well-wishers, as his team hurtled from one defeat to another embarrassment. 

  But well before IPL III got under way, typically, he found himself ploughed back into the spotlight; he stayed low in the run-up to the event, happy to see Shah Rukh Khan do all the scene-stealing. On Friday night, though, it was time for the dada-show again.

  As his stars would have it, the start was ominous: Tiwari went off the first ball; then he himself fell, in an altogether familiar fishing episode. By the time the country united on the airwaves, all smiles had vanished from KKR faces: at 31 for four, they were back on knightmare street.

  But the game turned quickly: Angelo Mathews and Owais Shah picked up the pieces and studded them with runs and fours. Like the good old times, you could follow the match by simply watching Sourav's face: first despair. Then hope. Then the hint of a twinkle. And finally quiet optimism.

  The optimism, however, faded away quickly: Gilchrist does that regularly to opposition captains, of course. Sourav simply waited; at 99 for one, the moment arrived: Gilchrist departed. Sourav promptly pulled out his old mask; the arms flailed like a windmill, the voice rose above the din and the brows burrowed in determination. 

  As the final nail was driven into the Chargers' coffin, Sourav happily crashed into Ishant's chest; somewhere, beyond the lights and celebrations, Shah Rukh must surely have danced to joy. The phoenix has clearly risen. Is it a coincidence that the Knight Riders have opted for purple-blue-yellow, just like the mythical bird?

  MI, my what a win

  If Sourav somehow manages to win lost games, Tendulkar has this uncanny knack of ending up losing even from absolute positions; on Saturday, he was back to his nail-biting best Read more...

Bobilli Vijay Kumar Ashes, IPL Angelo Mathews, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Gilchrist, IPL, KKR, Malinga, Mascarenhas, Mumbai Indians, Nita Ambani, Owais Shah, Pathan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Tiwari, Zaheer