KOLKATA: One down, five to go!
Needing to win their remaining six league matches when they came to the Eden Gardens on Friday, Kolkata Knight Riders kept themselves in business by pocketing the one against Rajasthan Royals in style. Restricting their high-flying opponents to 132 for 6, the Knights raced to their target with eight wickets and 16 balls to spare.
The top-order was among runs and Yusuf Pathan finally came to the party with an unbeaten 49 off 35 balls that had three boundaries and three towering sixes. Manvinder Bisla and skipper Gautam Gambhir had given a flying start and brought the chase down to a run-a-ball affair.
Gambhir fell early, nicely stumped by Dishant Yagnik standing up to Watson, but Bisla helped himself to a 25-ball 29 that had four boundaries and a six. Jacques Kallis remained unbeaten on a 30-ball 33 with two boundaries and a six.
In horses-for-courses moves, both teams strengthened the spin department, the Knights bringing back Sachitra Senanayeke and Iqbal Abdulla at the expense of new-ball bowlers Brett Lee and Balaji while the Royals, who made three changes, brought in left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan and gave 'chinaman' bowler Brad Hogg his first start in Season 6.
If the Royals got a total that actually looked competitive on another slow and low wicket, they owe it to 18-year-old Sanju Samson, who again belied his age to score a 36-ball 40.
Dravid won a good toss, but his batsmen were soon under the spell of KKR spinners. Senanayeke foxed Ajinkya Rahane in flight in his second over and Abdulla beat form man James Faulkner, the outer edge flying to Gambhir at point as the Aussie played inside the line. But, then, with Sumit Narwal and Abdulla wavering, 12 and 15 were conceded in the third and ninth over of the innings. If the Royals, who still had Shane Watson in the middle, couldn't quite break free, it was because KKR just extended the 'go slow' policy with the dangerous Sunil Narine and Rajat Bhatia.
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