The Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a great start in the second leg of the Indian Premier League as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets in their very first match in the UAE.
Struggling in the first half of the tournament Kolkata looked like a rejuvenated side over the break and are now aiming to get into the top four on the points table as they face Mumbai Indians in an all-important clash on Thursday Night in Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
To prepare his players for the match, coach Brendon McCullum chose the game of pool to give important cricketing lessons to the squad. McCullum made the pool table a battleground and chose the two best pool players from the squad in West Indian Sunil Narine and his Kiwi compatriot Lockie Ferguson for the demonstration.
Throughout the pool game, the 39-year-old former New Zealand skipper made his players understand as to how they don’t have to give up the game no matter how worse the situation might get, neither do they have to relax, no matter how ahead of the game they might get. 'It ain’t finished till it is' was the mantra that McCullum imparted through this pool table experiment.
If Knight Riders manage to win their September 23rd match against the Mumbai Indians, they would get to eight points from nine games and give their chances of qualification a great boost, which at one time during the India leg of the competition seemed too bleak.