It was a stroll in the park for Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday. Led from the front by Man-of-the-match Gautam Gambhir (93, 51b), the home team's 190 for four — its highest this season — proved too stiff for Royal Challengers Bangalore, which ended on 143 for six in 20 overs.
Even a fighting knock of 86 (58b, 7x4, 6x6) by Chris Gayle failed to stop KKR from registering its fifth win in nine games and reach 11 points. RCB stayed on nine from nine matches. Gayle's knock took his total to 336 and earned him the Orange Cup for the highest individual total in this edition.
Chasing 191, Royal Challengers suffered a big blow when Tillakaratne Dilshan's heave off Yusuf Pathan's last ball of the first over landed in the hands of Rajat Bhatia. Gayle and Virat Kohli put on 32 before the latter fell leg before to Jacques Kallis for 18. A.B. de Villers departed the next ball.
The Bangalore side had slumped to 34 for three in 5.3 overs when Gayle and Saurabh Tiwary came together. The two left-handers found the going tough and added 43 runs before Tiwary, trying to hit Bhatia, gave a catch to Gambhir at backward point.
Brisk beginning
Earlier, Knight Riders opted to bat on a slow pitch. Skipper Gambhir, who opened with Brendon McCullum, began aggressively, picking up two fours off Zaheer Khan's first over.
After a quiet over from Vettori, Gambhir tried to flash Zaheer and was dropped at deep third man by Harshal Patel. He was also put down by Gayle at backward point in the same over.
While Gambhir settled down to play a terrific innings, scoring most of his runs on the leg side, the Kiwi was content to play second fiddle. The two brought up 50 for the first wicket in 6.2 overs.
Gambhir reached his third half-century of the season in 28 balls (8x4, 1x6), as the two went on to add 95 for the first wicket, the team's best so far. In the company of Kallis, Gambhir took the total to 100 in the 12th over. The Knight Riders captain could have been taken brilliantly by Vinay Kumar at long-on off Dilshan when on 59, but the catch proved too difficult in the end.
Personal landmark
Gambhir made full use of the reprieves and batted like a champion to go past his best of 66 not out this season and surpassed his best of 90 not out in T20s. The 150 of the innings came up as Kallis too joined in the act.
Finally, Gambhir fell for 93 (51 balls, 9x4, 5x6). K.P. Appanna at long-off made no mistake off a heave off Zaheer's slower one to end an 80-run second-wicket partnership with Kallis.
The South African left soon, taken by Harshal off Vinay for 41 (27b, 1x4, 3x6). Royal Challengers' bowling was below par; so was its fielding and catching.
Scoreboard
Kolkata Knight Riders: B. McCullum b Vettori 43 (37b, 8x4), G. Gambhir c Appanna b Zaheer 93 (51b, 9x4, 5x6), J. Kallis c Harshal b Vinay 41 (27b, 1x4, 3x6), Yusuf c Dilshan b Vinay 7 (4b, 1x6), M. Tiwary (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 190.
Fall of wickets: 1-95 (McCullum), 2-175 (Gambhir), 3-182 (Kallis), 4-190 (Yusuf).
Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Zaheer 4-0-48-1, Vettori 4-0-29-1, Appanna 3-0-27-0, Vinay 4-0-31-2, Dilshan 2-0-19-0, Harshal 3-0-35-0.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: T. Dilshan c Bhatia b Yusuf 1 (3b), C. Gayle c McCullum b Shukla 86 (58b, 7x4, 6x6), V. Kohli lbw b Kallis 18 (19b, 3x4), A.B. de Villiers c Shukla b Kallis 0 (1b), S. Tiwary c Gambhir b Bhatia 19 (22b, 1x4, 1x6), M. Agarwal b Narine 10 (13b, 1x4), D. Vettori (not out) 4 (4b), Vinay (not out) 0 (1b); Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-1): 5; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 143.
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Dilshan), 2-34 (Kohli), 3-34 (de Villiers), 4-77 (Tiwary), 5-112 (Agarwal), 6-143 (Gayle).
Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Yusuf 4-0-19-1, Lee 4-0-34-0, Narine 4-0-11-1, Kallis 4-0-31-2, Bhatia 3-0-41-1, Shukla 1-0-5-1.
Man-of-the-match: Gautam Gambhir.
