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New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders remain in contention for a semi-final spot with a victory over Deccan Chargers, and they have given themselves the perfect impetus to make that spot more certain with enough home games to follow.

Sourav Ganguly's stunning 54-ball 88 was the perfect response to the wagging tongues yet again and the Kolkata skipper must continue to play in this fashion if his team is to move up the ladder. Ganguly was most impressive while handling the spinners, giving them the charge and his treatment of Pragyan Ojha was disdainful. It's a situation Ganguly has found himself often and his reply this time was nothing short of emphatic.

Even though Ganguly's opening combination with Chris Gayle hasn't quite fired with the West Indian skipper yet to stamp his authority on the IPL, the skipper must carry on. He has made impressive runs of late, but his strike-rate had been the bone of contention, until his blitz at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. With the arrival of Brendon McCullum, Kolkata must be wise in choosing their overseas players, as David Hussey and Angelo Mathews have been solid in the middle order.

Kolkata's move to draft in Cheteshwar Pujara worked partially, but the Saurashtra batsman looks more at ease than the rookie Mandeep Singh or any other batsman in a vital position like No. 3. Mathews didn't come good in the late overs, but his bowling has been a crucial factor in the Kolkata unit.

Kolkata coach Dav Whatmore said he had eyed a total in the region of 160, and the hosts managed to better it by 20 runs, which proved a stiff one on a slowing Eden pitch. Kolkata must keep batting first as their bowling has enough sting to restrict oppositions.

Deccan, on the other hand, have slipped due to the lack of depth in their batting. Get the triumvirate of Gilchrist, Gibbs and Symonds out and rival teams can spot a glaring absence of a solid middle order batsman. Among the current crop, Rohit Sharma is the only one whom Deccan can rely upon, as Tirumalasetti Suman and Venugopal Rao, along with Mohnish Mishra, don't seem to be an answer to rival the likes of the talent available at the hands of Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai and Rajasthan.

Deccan's bowling had an off day with their main bowler Pragyan Ojha being subject to a late assault from Sourav Ganguly. Dropping RP Singh proved to be a disaster, and Kemar Roach hasn't lived up to his billing as yet. Chaminda Vaas must be reinstated for his wealth of experience as he also acts as a mentor for the rest of the bowling attack.

Gilchrist's indifferent form must be a worry for the Chargers as they missed a much-needed platform to build on. With an important game against Mumbai Indians next up, Deccan must revert to a tried and tested combination before it gets too late in a tournament as wide open as this.

Kolkata, however, have given themselves breathing space with their victory. And with Kings XI Punjab as their next opposition, Kolkata must not lower their guard and bury the bottom side with another fine performance. It would be interesting to see if McCullum gets the nod ahead of Gayle when the teams square off on Sunday.