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Johannesburg - The Kolkata Knight Riders were forced to work a bit harder than expected, but they eventually beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in their IPL encounter at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday.
According to the supersport.com website, Proteas ace Jacques Kallis enjoyed a fine performance with bat and ball, claiming two wickets, before steering the Knight Riders to 116 for five, winning with just four balls to spare on a slowish track.
Kallis's 41 off 45 balls was the rock that the Kolkata chase was built on, and despite watching Manvinder Bisla fall to the second ball of the innings and Gautam Gambhir (14) and Yusuf Pathan (18) giving away good platforms, Kallis held his nerve.
Full scorecard
The big all-rounder rode his luck, too, edging an attempted hook just beyond AB de Villiers, before eventually holing out to Moises Henriques off the bowling of the recalled Abhimanyu Mithun.
But, by the time he was ousted, Kallis, who struck four fours, had done enough to secure a match that the Knight Riders had effectively won with a fine bowling performance, led by the wizardry of Sunil Narine.
The off-spinner eventually ended with exemplary figures of 4-22, including the prize wicket of Chris Gayle, who could only chalk up 33 off 36 balls. The Bangalore side couldn't get going early on, as they crawled to 22 for one after six overs, and they were eventually restricted to a paltry 115 for nine.
Narine had his fellow West Indian expertly stumped by Bisla, after he was deceived in the flight by an off-spinner. De Villiers tried his best to loosen the shackles, clubbing Laxmipathy Balaji for a six over cover, but he was out the very next ball, trying to reverse sweep over third man and getting caught behind for 28 off 22 balls.
Narine finished in style, claiming two wickets in his final over, and he received good support from Kallis (2-17) and Balaji, who ended with 2-22.
The loss sees Bangalore's chances to make the playoffs take a dent, while the defending champions, the Knight Riders, will look to kick on and finish their season with a flourish.
According to the supersport.com website, Proteas ace Jacques Kallis enjoyed a fine performance with bat and ball, claiming two wickets, before steering the Knight Riders to 116 for five, winning with just four balls to spare on a slowish track.
Kallis's 41 off 45 balls was the rock that the Kolkata chase was built on, and despite watching Manvinder Bisla fall to the second ball of the innings and Gautam Gambhir (14) and Yusuf Pathan (18) giving away good platforms, Kallis held his nerve.
Full scorecard
The big all-rounder rode his luck, too, edging an attempted hook just beyond AB de Villiers, before eventually holing out to Moises Henriques off the bowling of the recalled Abhimanyu Mithun.
But, by the time he was ousted, Kallis, who struck four fours, had done enough to secure a match that the Knight Riders had effectively won with a fine bowling performance, led by the wizardry of Sunil Narine.
The off-spinner eventually ended with exemplary figures of 4-22, including the prize wicket of Chris Gayle, who could only chalk up 33 off 36 balls. The Bangalore side couldn't get going early on, as they crawled to 22 for one after six overs, and they were eventually restricted to a paltry 115 for nine.
Narine had his fellow West Indian expertly stumped by Bisla, after he was deceived in the flight by an off-spinner. De Villiers tried his best to loosen the shackles, clubbing Laxmipathy Balaji for a six over cover, but he was out the very next ball, trying to reverse sweep over third man and getting caught behind for 28 off 22 balls.
Narine finished in style, claiming two wickets in his final over, and he received good support from Kallis (2-17) and Balaji, who ended with 2-22.
The loss sees Bangalore's chances to make the playoffs take a dent, while the defending champions, the Knight Riders, will look to kick on and finish their season with a flourish.
