Chris Lynn showed grace under fire to steer Kolkata Knight Riders to a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night.
Needing 176 to win, opener Lynn scored an unbeaten 62 to guide the visiting Knight Riders to victory with five balls to spare. He received good support from Sunil Narine (27), Robin Uthappa (36) and Dinesh Karthik (23).
After home team Bangalore were asked to bat first by Kolkata captain Karthik, they started well courtesy of a 59-run opening stand between Quinton de Kock (29) and Brendon McCullum (38). Karthik's opposite number, Virat Kohli (69) top-scored for his team as Bangalore posted a competitive 175-4.
However, it was not enough as Kolkata paced their innings well throughout the run chase.
The Knight Riders are now fourth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) table on eight points, two points ahead of Rajasthan Royals, who lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 11 runs in Jaipur earlier on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad rise the top
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Kane Williamson scored a quickfire 63 and put on a 92-run stand with Alex Hales (45). The visitors lost their way after both batsmen departed in quick succession to post 151-7 – not a massive total to defend.
But seamers Siddarth Kaul (2-23) Sandeep Sharma (1-15) bowled superbly to limit the hosts to 140-6. Captain Ajinkya Rahane (65) batted through Rajasthan’s innings, but it was not enough to get them home.
Hyderabad now top the IPL table on 12 points – two points ahead of Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, although they have played an additional game.
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Honeymoon phase for Delhi Daredevils?
The Super Kings have an opportunity to move level with Hyderabad again when they host Delhi Daredevils in the outskirts of Pune on Monday.
The two-time champions may be playing their home games far away from Chennai due to security concerns, but they have shown no signs of homesickness. MS Dhoni’s men have used their experience to consistently win games in the last over.
On the other hand, the Daredevils have struggled all season, winning just once in six outings before Gautam Gambhir stepped down as captain to make way for a man 13 years younger.
Shreyas Iyer, 23, led from the front in his first game in charge on Friday, scoring 93 as Delhi beat Kolkata by 55 runs to stem the tide – at least for the time being.
The mood in the Delhi camp may, therefore, be upbeat at the moment, but Shreyas will be prudent not to get too excited.
Honeymoon phase or not, a Delhi win on Sunday will be considered a genuine upset.
