KKR reached in playoff with 30 run win over Royal challengers Bangalore
Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders continued to sizzle with Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine playing leading roles as they booked the IPL playoff berth after shutting doors on Royal Challengers Bangalore with a 30-run victory at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Continuing his dream run Uthappa played the sheet anchor role in his unbeaten 83 from 51 balls (10×4, 1×6) in a 121 runs partnership from 70 balls with Shakib Al Hasan (60 from 38 balls; 5×3, 3×6) to help KKR post a towering 195/4.
Defending the massive total, off-spinner Sunil Narine joined the party and executed the role of wrecker-in-chief to perfection grabbing 4/20 to hand KKR a sixth successive win, a milestone they had only posted in their triumphant 2012 season.
After Umesh Yadav gave the breakthrough in Chris Gayle (6) who got out to a dubious lbw decision, Yogesh Takawale and Virat Kohli kept RCB in the hunt in their must-win match with an 85-run partnership but Narine struck twice in his third over scalping both the dangerman to keep them in check.
In fact Narine did not do badly in following Uthappa, though in the leading wicket takers tally as he remained one away from Purple Cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s (Sunrisers Hyderabad) tally of 20.
KKR were reduced to 56/3 in the seventh over at the sun bathed Eden Gardens after Virat Kohli put the home team up front but Uthappa defied the heat to take the attack to theb opposition.
Shakib Al Hasan played a perfect ally and was more brute at the other end as the Bangladeshi all-rounder spanked 38-ball 60 and the duo put together 121 runs from 70 balls for the fourth wicket to stage a remarkable recovery against a frail RCB bowling attack.
