KKR's play-off charge continues

Sudhir Gupta 09:46 19/05/2014
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  • Kolkata Knight Riders overcame some tense moments at the finish to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets and take a massive step towards the Indian Premier League play-offs. 

    The 143-run chase did not exactly go as desired but Yusuf Pathan (39 not out off 28 balls) and Ryan ten Doeschate (21 not out off 15 balls) smashed 42 runs in 4.2 overs to soothe the nerves.

    Opener Robin Uthappa (40 off 33 balls) and Manish Pandey (35 off 32 balls) had earlier set it up after the controversial dismissal of captain Gautam Gambhir (6) in the second over. Gambhir was declared out edging a Dale Steyn delivery while attempting an expansive drive but television replays did not show any deflection from the bat. 

    The batsman, stunned to see the umpire Nigel Long’s finger go up, seethed in anger and threw his bat and helmet in the dug out, an act which could attract disciplinary action from the match referee.

    He later said: “I would not have reacted that way had I nicked it. (It) just happened in the heat of the moment.”

    The win, their fourth on the trot, took Kolkata to 12 points from 11 matches, two points behind Rajasthan Royals in third place and two points ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore in fifth.

    Hyderabad sacked captain Shikhar Dhawan and handed the reins to Darren Sammy but it failed to change their fortunes as they crashed to their third defeat at home in four matches, virtually 
    ruling out their play-off hopes.

    David Warner (34 off 18 balls) had almost put Hyderabad on course for a big score but once he was dismissed they lost their way. In the 40 balls that remained after Warner’s exit, Hyderabad scored just 38 runs and lost five wickets.

    Sammy, normally a destructive batsman lower down the order, could only score 7 from 16 balls. 

    They paid the price of not building partnerships on a wicket that had bounce but still offered plenty to batsmen.

    Had it not been for the small contributions from wicketkeeper Naman Ojha (22 off 24 balls) and Irfan Pathan (23 not out off 19 balls), Hyderabad would have struggled to get close to 150-run mark.

    The West Indies Twenty20 captain remained optimistic of his team’s chances despite the defeat, saying: “The dot balls at the end cost us. The bowlers fought back to make a game out of it. We know that catches win matches, (and) we dropped two crucial ones today (of Uthappa and Pandey).

    “We have not capitalized on key moments. (But) it is not over, we have to win all three and hope some results go in our favour."

    Gambhir's ploy of fielding three spinners worked well as Sunil Narine (1-21), Shakib Al Hasan (2-22) and Piyush Chawla (1-24) stifled the Hyderabad innings throughout. Pacer Umesh Yadav was equally effective claiming three wickets for 26 runs.

    The Kolkata captain credited his bowlers for the win.

    “It was a big game for us," said Gambhir who explaine that he was "happy with the way the rest of the guys batted."

    "I want to give credit to the bowlers on such a wicket. Looking at the wicket, playing three spinners, we were looking at chasing 160-odd. The three spinners bowled brilliantly to restrict them (to 142).”

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