Man of the match goes to...

When the 22 yards in the middle caused more agony than ecstasy in the first IPL T20 match at Eden Gardens, you could always turn to the right lower tier of the Club House.

There sat all the King’s Men (and Women) — Kolkata Knight Riders ‘Boss’ Shah Rukh Khan’s friends from Mumbai and Delhi — making the first day first show at Eden a thumping blockbuster. Here’s how King Khan’s latest superhit unfolded on the opening night on Sunday…

3.30pm: As all the galleries filled up steadily — “my films always open big” the Shah Rukh guarantee — the first eight rows of the right end of the lower tier of the Club House saw the main cast appearing. And what a cast! Arjun Rampal, Meher Jessia Rampal, Viveik Oberoi, Gauri Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Riteish Deshmukh, Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar all trooped in under heavy security.

Around 10 minutes later, under even stricter security, the Gandhis — Priyanka and Rahul — walked in, shaking hands with the crowds nearby, very much like one of their political rallies. Once seated in the front row, they were not difficult to spot as the only people not in the Knight Riders’ colours of black-and-gold. He wore a black tee and jeans, she a blue salwar kameez.

4.05pm: The King appears in the stands having led his team on the ground. Shaking hands with Rahul, Shah Rukh sits next to him and pats son Aryan who is completely engrossed with the golden helmet in his hand.

As daughter Suhana settles on his lap and Arjun hands him a baseball cap to counter the blazing heat, SRK turns furious as Gilchrist is not given out, having been caught off Ashok Dinda. He had obviously missed the no ball the delivery before!

4.17pm: As the first Deccan Chargers wicket falls, it’s carnival at the Club House with the whole of Team SRK, barring Rahul and Priyanka, on their feet dancing to his chartbusters.

But after a few minutes when Dinda gets rid of Hyderabad captain V.V.S Laxman, the Gandhi scion joins the King’s men, clapping to the anthemic chants of Korbo lorbo jeetbo.

5pm: The musicians join the party — Pritam, with his flowing tresses, Vishal, with not a blade on his head, and the baap of bling, Bappi Lahiri. Symonds may be calling the shots on the ground but it is SRK and his promised dance of Dard-e-disco that’s getting all the cheers.

There are more Shah Rukh posters across the Eden than those of Sourav, clearly showing where the crowd priorities lie. And the best seats in the house are that in Block B, where people are going berserk not at Ishant’s appeals but at the antics around the adjoining Club House.

5.45pm: Interval time but Shah Rukh has left his seat a tad too late, allowing him to only dance to the last couple of lines of Korbo lorbo jeetbo on the stage in Block J.

The crowd doesn’t mind as wife Gauri makes up for him, dancing in her seat. Karan Johar cheers her on. “It’s absolutely outstanding,” KJo tells Metro. “The energy level in the stadium is truly an experience to watch and remember.”

6.36pm: Sourav plays Shah Rukh’s favourite shot — “the one over the keeper’s head”. Despite the tense situation on the field, SRK keeps cheering, from every single to every wide, from Rang de basanti to Mast kalandar. His neighbours on the front row have changed. Adding some local flavour are Rituparna Sengupta and Usha Uthup.

7.05pm: The lights go off, but the crowds need not worry as SRK gives them a taste of his Deewangi deewangi magic — with all his star friends making some noise just like in the film. The 30 minutes just fly away as Hussey re-emerges to finish off the thrilling win for the Knight Riders with a six and a four.

7.45pm: The crowds are leaving as Shah Rukh enters the greens and hugs his all-time fave cricketer Farookh Engineer, the match referee. And just like the closing credits of Om Shanti Om, King Khan has a dream ending up his sleeve. The crowds rush back as SRK does a victory lap around the Eden. Back in the stands, the star had a new fan in Sana Ganguly, carefully preserving the autograph she had got herself a few minutes back.

Pratim.D.Gupta, The Telegraph Calcutta