Knight Riders find winning ways again

Electing to bat, the Knight Riders posted a competitive 183 for five, their highest score of the tournament, and then restricted Kings XI Punjab at 144 for six to end their three-match losing streak.

Tiwary blasted a 47-ball 75 bejewelled with eight fours and two sixes, while Ganguly’s breezy 40-ball 50 included six fours and one six.

Chasing 184 to win, Kings XI Punjab batsmen got starts but couldn’t turn them into big scores as they lost half their side before touching 100 and inside 15 overs.

Shane Bond and Ajit Agarkar picked up two wickets each, while Angelo Matthews and Chris Gayle scalped one apiece to contribute to their team’s win.

For Punjab, Yuvraj (24) opened the innings with Ravi Bopara (0) but a pacy Shane Bond delivery found the latter in front of wicket as the home team lost their first wicket in the first over.

Yuvraj, however, slammed two fours off Ashoke Dinda in the fourth over and later in the sixth over hit Ajit Agarkar for a four and six.

The euphoria was shortlived as the Mumbai pacer struck off the very next delivery to sent Yuvraj back into the hut. In pursuit of a six, Yuvraj miscued his shot and Tiwary picked up a brilliant catch at midwicket.

Agarkar struck again in his next over, removing Manvinder Bisla (22) as Kings XI Punjab were reduced to 54 for three in 7.3 overs.

Mahela Jayawardene (16) and Kumar Sangakkar (30) tried to steady the ship with a 38-ball stand but Angelo Matthews cleaned up the former in the 14th over and three balls later the skipper was also stumped by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha as Punjab slipped to 98 for five.

Pathan (22) and Karan Goel (17) tried their heart out and played some fine shots but it was too little too late as the match slipped out of Punjab’s hands.

Earlier, Tiwary forged a crucial 79-run stand for the third wicket with Ganguly and later slammed two sixes and two fours in the last over to lift Kolkata Knight Riders from 45 for two to 183 for five.

Knight Riders were off to a rollicking start with opener Chris Gayle (14) clobbering three fours off Brett Lee as the Australian, playing his first match in IPL III, bleeded 19 runs in his first over.

Ganguly also didn’t lag behind and punished Irfan Pathan for consecutive fours in the second over to take Kolkata to 27 in two overs. However, Shalabh Srivastava put the brakes on the score, getting rid of Gayle, who miscued a pull shot and Manvinder Bisla took a good catch at the boundary line.

Ganguly picked up a couple of fours more to keep the scoreboard ticking before new man Mandeep Singh popped one up straight to Lee at mid on to see his side fall to 45 for two in five overs.

With Vikramjeet Malik and Piyush Chawla bowling in tandem, runs dried up for the Kolkata team and Ganguly and Manoj Tiwary had to depend on ones and twos to take KKR to 75 for two in 10 overs.

In the 11th over, Ganguly slammed the first six of the match when he sent Chawla out of the park and followed it up with a boundary at cover to step the gas. Tiwary also joined the party and after the dismissal of Ganguly, he held the innings together before finishing in a flourish. He blasted two sixes and as many fours in the last over to swell the KKR total.

Score Board
Kolkata Knight Riders: Chris Gayle c Bisla b Srivastava 14; Sourav Ganguly c Chawla b Pathan 50; Mandeep Singh c Lee b Srivastava 4; Manoj Tiwary (not out) 75; David Hussey b Chawla 3; Angelo Mathews c Lee b Pathan 19; Wriddhiman Saha (not out) 0; Extras (B-8, W-8, NB-2) 18. Total (five wickets in 20 overs) 183.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-45, 3-124, 4-130, 5-163.

Bowling: Brett Lee 4-0-39-0; Irfan Pathan 4-0-42-2; Shalabh Srivastava 3-0-23-2; Vikramjit Singh Malik 3-0-18-0; Piyush Chawla 4-0-35-1; Ravi Bopara 2-0-18-0.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravi Bopara lbw Bond 0; Yuvraj Singh c Tiwary b Agarkar 24; Manvinder Bisla c Hussey b Agarkar 22; Kumar Sangakkara st Saha b Gayle 30; Mahela Jayawardene b Mathews 16; Irfan Pathan c & b Bond 22; Karan Goel (not out) 18; Brett Lee (not out) 7. Extras (W-5) 5. Total (for six wickets in 20 overs) 144.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-41, 3-54, 4-92, 5-98, 6-135.

Bowling: Shane Bond 4-0-24-2; Asok Dinda 2-0-19-0; Chris Gayle 3-0-23-1; Ajit Agarkar 4-0-32-2; Iqbal Abdulla 2-0-12-0; Angelo Mathews 4-0-26-1; David Hussey 1-0-7-0.