KKR captain Gambhir leads team to win against Lahore Lions

Bhavneet Singh 22:15 21/09/2014
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  • Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders made an easy task of Pakistan champions Lahore Lions as they defeated them by four wickets in the Champions League T20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. 

    Kolkata looked to be on course for an emphatic win before Lahore pulled things back picking up three wickets in the last three overs. However, it was the calm head of Umesh Yadav that found the fence on the third ball of the last over to let his side off the hook.

    Chasing 151, Kolkata got off to one of their best starts this season with a 100 run stand between Robin Uthappa (46) and skipper Gautam Gambhir (60). Uthappa fell in the 13 over after and Gambhir departed soon after. When Manwinder Bisla was dismissed for six KKR had fallen to 115-3.

    There could have been a twist in the tail as three more wickets fell in the form of Yusuf Pathan (11), Ryan ten Doschate (14) and Andre Russell (1).

    However, Umesh Yadav rose to the occasion and found the crucial boundary to win the match for Kolkata.

    Earlier, Winning the toss and electing to field first, the Knight Riders did a decent job with the ball restricting the Lahore side to after they got off to a flying start.

    Ahmed Shehzad played the key role yet again for the Lions as he scored 59 of 42 deliveries. He got good support from Umar Akmal (42) as the duo put on a guided their side to a defendable 153 for six.

    The ever reliable Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, picking up three wickets for just nine runs from his four overs.

    It was Kolkata’s 11th consecutive victory since their loss to Rajasthan Royals in the IPL back in May.

    Moment of the match: Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir scored a magnificent half century. With boundaries all around the park, his innings has come just at the right time for his side as his form was a bit of a concern going into the big games. It did have an impact on the game for which, his half century is the moment of the match.

    Man of the match: Sunil Narine picked up the man of the match award for his brilliant bowling spell. Bowling at an economy rate of 2.25 in a Twenty-20 match is brilliant in any tournament. In fact, after the arrival of Narine, Kolkata have won two IPL titles and look to be on their way to their first Champions League T20. He gives their team an edge, like he did today and deserved the accolades at the end of it.

    Brief scores: Lahore Lions 151/7 (Ahmed Shezad 52, Umar Akmal 42, Sunil Narine 3/9) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 153/6 (Gautam Gambhir 60, Robin Uthappa 46)

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