IPL 2010: Knight Riders back in the hunt

Kolkata Knight Riders snapped Delhi Daredevils' four-match winning streak with a 15-run victory in their DLF-IPL III match at the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday.

Needing a victory to stay in contention for a semifinal spot, Knight Riders rose to the occasion to win its fifth match in 10 games. It was Daredevils' fourth loss in as many games.

Batting first, Knight Riders put on a challenging 181 for three and restricted Daredevils to 166 for eight.

Disastrous start

Daredevils' chase began on a disastrous note as David Warner was castled by Ashok Dinda off the fifth ball of the innings. Skipper Gautam Gambhir joined Virender Sehwag and the two took the attack to the Knight Riders camp. Angelo Mathews came in for harsh treatment, conceding 30 in his first two overs.

At 99 for one in the 11th over, Daredevils seemed well on course when Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly, who had a delightful day, ran out Gambhir.

Sehwag, however, continued in characteristic fashion. He made 64 off 40 deliveries with six fours and three huge sixes. The Daredevils opener had earlier enjoyed a reprieve on 35 when Iqbal Abdulla, playing in place of the injured Murali Kartik, spilled a sharp chance at deep midwicket off Ajantha Mendis.

Turning point

The game turned on its head when Ajit Agarkar bowled Sehwag with his team still needing 48 for victory. Daredevils then kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually finished 15 runs short.

Earlier, Sourav Ganguly won his third successive toss and opted to bat. He also began the innings with a flurry of boundaries as Knight Riders raced to 22 in two overs. Daniel Vettori, bowling the second over, conceded 15.

Chris Gayle, content to play second fiddle, opened up in the seventh over, sending Amit Mishra over the long-on fence and hitting two more boundaries. Rajat Bhatia, introduced in the ninth over, provided Daredevils the breakthrough by dismissing Gayle. The openers added 94 in 10.2 overs to set a solid platform.

Ganguly reached his 50 off 42 balls with eight fours and a six off Paul Collingwood before falling for 56. Brendon McCullum, playing his first match, survived a run out chance as soon as he arrived at the crease before being dismissed in the same fashion.

Brisk scoring

Mathews and Manoj Tiwary scored at a brisk rate in the closing stages, adding 51 off the last four overs. The former smashed two sixes and three fours in his 28-ball unbeaten 46 while Tiwary was not out on 26 (18b, 1x4, 1x6).

The two strung together 70 in 6.5 overs for the fourth wicket to give Knight Riders a total that proved beyond Daredevils.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Ganguly b Vettori 56 (46b, 8x4, 1x6), C. Gayle b Bhatia 40 (21b, 5x4, 2x6), B. McCullum (run out) 6 (7b), M. Tiwary (not out) 26 (18b, 1x4, 1x6), A. Mathews (not out) 46 (28b, 3x4, 2x6); Extras (lb-1, w-6): 7; Total (for three wkts. in 20 overs): 181.

Fall of wickets: 1-94, 2-104, 3-111.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: Maharoof 3-0-30-0, Vettori 4-0-30-1, Sangwan 3-0-30-0, Mishra 4-0-41-0, Collingwood 2-0-19-0, Bhatia 4-0-30-1.

Delhi Daredevils: D. Warner b Dinda 0 (5b), V. Sehwag b Agarkar 64 (40b, 6x4, 3x6), G. Gambhir (run out) 47 (29b, 6x4, 1x6), P. Collingwood c Mathews b Mendis 2 (3b), D. Karthik c McCullum b Dinda 20 (17b, 2x4), K. Jadhav c Ganguly b Mendis 5 (8b), F. Maharoof b Abdulla 2 (3b), R. Bhatia (run out) 1 (3b), D. Vettori (not out) 12 (6b, 2x4), A. Mishra (not out) 4 (6b); Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-4): 9; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 166.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-99, 3-103, 4-134, 5-144, 6-147, 7-149, 8-152.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Dinda 4-0-21-2, Agarkar 4-0-36-1, Mathews 3-0-43-0, Mendis 4-0-22-2, Ganguly 1-0-12-0, Abdulla 4-0-27-1.