KKR keep playoff hopes alive with easy win over KXIP

Toss: Kings XI Punjab won the toss and chose to batResult: Kolkata Knight Riders won by six wicketsClick here for the full scorecard.Kings XI Punjab: 149/6 (Vohra 31, Gurkeerat 28, Kallis 2-14)Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Singh gave Kings XI their best start in the Powerplay, getting to 45/0 before Kallis had Mandeep caught at mid-on with his first ball. Gilchrist made another start, but through it away by picking out the fielder at deep midwicket when 10 feet either side would have brough him four. Manan Vohra gave the innings some impetus with 31 from 21 balls but three spinners – Sunil Narine, Suchirta Senanayake and Sarabjit Ladda – prevented Kings XI from accelerating, though it was Kallis who was the best bowler on show, taking 2 for 14 from his four overs. [caption id="attachment_732347" align="alignleft" width="380"] Manvinder Bisla scoops the ball over fine leg. BCCI[/caption]Narine gave away just two runs in the 19th over but Gurkeerat Singh smashed Balaji for two sixes and a four in the final over to ransack 18 runs and take his side to a competitive total.Kolkata Knight Riders: 150/4 (Bisla 51*, Morgan 42, Mahmood 3-35)Knight Riders got off to a terrible start when Mahmood dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan off successive balls in the second over. He got one to swing in and knock over Gambhir’s offstump before getting Yusuf to poke at one with Gilchrist taking a fine catch diving to his right. Despite that setback, Jacques Kallis and Manvinder Bisla went about the chase intelligently, mixing singles with the boundary balls. Kallis cut Raghav Bhatia for two fours while Bisla lofted Praveen Kumar for a stunning six over point. Kallis’ innings was cut shot by Harmeet Singh, when he tried to glide one down to third man but gave Gilchrist catching practice instead. Eoin Morgan was lucky not to be bowled by Chawla off the third delivery he faced. He missed the reverse sweep and the ball grazed the offstump but the bails did not fall. That was all the luck he needed as he proceeded to take the game away from Kings XI. He was intent on finishing the game in a hurry, pulling Mahmood for two consecutive sixes but was caught attempting three in a row with KKR needing just two to win from 13 deliveries. A no-ball from Harmeet was the eventual winning run. Tunring PointMorgan was lucky the off bail only wobbled slightly and did not topple over when he missed his reverse sweep off Chawla while still to get off the mark. Had he been dismissed so soon after Kallis, KKR would have been under some pressure. Instead, he ended up taking all the pressure off.Man of the Match: Jacques Kallis