IPL-4 (07 May): Knight Riders beat Super Kings in a rain-marred match

By Team Bellevision
Bellevision Media Network

Kolkata, 07 May 2011: Disciplined bowling and rain helped Kolkata Knight Riders beat defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 10 runs via Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

 

In a rain delayed match, Knight Rider stifled Super Kings to 114/4 in their 20 overs on a slow and moist track and then raced away to 61/2 in 10 overs when skies opened up.

 
    
After revising the target as per D/L method, the Knight Riders were found 10 runs ahead.

 

Knight Riders lost skipper Gautam Gambhir (16) and Eoin Morgan (5) for 33 runs. Jacques Kallis was batting on 21 and Manoj Tiwary 15 when rain interrupted for the second time.

The win has taken the Knight Riders to second place with 14 points while Super Kings are at third place with 12 points.

 

Electing to bat, Subramanium Badrinath was the lone bright spot in the Super Kings innings, scoring a brisk 41-ball 54 runs with three fours and two sixes.

 

Tight bowling by Knight Riders bowler stopped super Kings from scoring a single boundary till the ninth over. Badrinath opened the account by swatting a six off Yusuf Pathan in the tenth over.  

 

The defending champions were off to a false start losing opener Murali Vijay (5) to an easy caught and bowl off spinner Iqbal Abdulla in the fourth over.

 

Pathan then dismissed Suresh Raina (4), caught by Kallis at midwicket, in the sixth over to reduce Super Kings to 15/2.

 

Michael Hussey (15) and Badrinath then put on a 34-run stand for the third wicket to steady the innings but Lakshmipathy Balaji separated the two. Hussey was caught at midwicket by Morgan at midwicket in a bid to accelerate the scoring.  

 

Badrinath, however, stood like a rock. He brought up his 50 off 37 balls and forged a 65-run fourth wicket partnership with Albie Morkel who made a run-a-ball 30 not out with three boundaries.

 

Badrinath was finally dismissed on the last ball of the innings when he was run out in an attempt to take a difficult single.

 

For Knight Riders, Iqbal Abdulla (1-15), Yusuf Pathan (1-25) and Balaji (1-33) took a wicket each.