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Knights brawl till their last mouthful of air. And if a Kolkata Knight Riders’ team member is to be believed, just like the ancient warriors, they would by no means give up and do all to make it to the last-four phase of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).“Don’t write us off. We are knights and the battle is still not over,” the player said. “We will fight till the end and give it our all,” he reiterated.Things, on the other hand, look vigorous difficult for the hosts as they take on League toppers Rajasthan Royals in a do or die encounter at the Eden on Tuesday.While the Shane Warne-led side are almost through, the Knight Riders must win all their enduring three match to have any hopes of making it to the knockout round.

With pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar probable to sit out on Tuesday after bad tempered of a knee injury, things look even more complex for captain Sourav Ganguly.Though the Pakistan speedster has been kept in the 13-member squad, he will undergo a two-day medical scrutiny. In case he fail to make the cut, Umar Gul will be his replacement.“He came to the contest under-prepared… He has given his 100 per cent. But he has a problem with his knee and we will check him for the next couple of days,” coach John Buchanan said on Monday twilight.Sourav, however, in a function later on Monday night, claim that the fast bowler was “fit enough to play.”

Besides the confusion over Shoaib, Nor’wester can also be a main concern for Shah Rukh Khan’s side. On Monday sunset, it rained heavily for about an hour and the Eden outfield became water-logged again.After a lot of testing with the opening slot, it was learnt that Buchanan, after a discussion with captain Sourav, is keen to stick to the Salman Butt-Mohammad Hafeez combination to open against the Royals.However, a lot depends on Sourav’s batting presentation. Though he has been inconsistent in the IPL so far, the vastly experienced captain can run through a bowling attack.The Rajasthan side, in the meantime, are expected to field an extra batsman against the hosts. Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan may be built-in the live XI. With the likes of Shane Watson, Munaf Patel, Yousuf Pathan, Sohail Tanvir and Shane Warne in their ranks, the bowling section looks dense.