Kolkata Knight Riders cemented their place at the top of the Indian Premier League table after Gautam Gambhir led his side to a comfortable win over Delhi Daredevils on Friday.
Set 161 to win, Kolkata responded to the early dismissal of Sunil Narine (4) with a 108-run second wicket partnership between Gambhir and Robin Uthappa.
Gambhir batted through the entire innings, his unbeaten 71 coming from 52 balls, while Uthappa contributed with a 33-ball 59 before getting run out in the 12th over.
Manish Pandey (5) quickly came and went, before Sheldon Jackson (12) and Gambhir closed out the victory with 22 balls to spare.
Batting first after losing the toss, Delhi’s innings was anchored by opener Sanju Samson, who struck 60 off 38 deliveries. The Indian batsman was supported first by fellow opener Karun Nair (15) and Shreyas Iyer (47).
However, Delhi’s total proved far too easy to chase down for Kolkata, who extend their impressive record at Eden Gardens when batting second. It is now 13 wins in a row, stretching back to 2012, for Kolkata at their home ground when chasing.
“We still have a long way to go, most boxes ticked but we can’t be complacent,” Gambhir said. “Very professional performance today, to restrict them to 160 after the start they got.
“At one stage I was tempted to bat first but we have been chasing really well so stuck to that. Every player we pick we pick with a lot of trust, and if you show trust they repay it.”
Dehli captain Zaheer Khan has called on his team to bounce back from the defeat with time running out to salvage their season.
“We have to regroup, quickly,” he said. “We need that spark, that winning momentum, someone to have that kind of day that changes things for us.
“So far it hasn’t happened but that does not mean it will not happen.”
In Friday’s later game, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs to stay third in the table.
Hyderabad had their top-order to thank for victory, with all three batsmen claiming half-centuries. Captain David Warner struck 51 off just 27 balls to play his part in a 107-run first wicket stand with Shikhar Dhawan, who top-scored for Hyderabad with a 48-ball 77.
After Warner was bowled by Australia teammate Glenn Maxwell midway through the innings, Kane Williamson kept up the Hyderabad run rate with an unbeaten 54 from 27 deliveries.
Set 208 to win, Punjab failed to get any significant partnerships going to threaten the Hyderabad total. Shaun Marsh top-scored for Punjab with a 50-ball 84.
* The National staff
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