Super Kings restrict KKR to 119/9

Kolkata, April 20 (IANS) Backed by some spirited bowling and fielding, Chennai Super Kings pegged the Kolkata Knight Riders to 119 for nine in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Eden Gardens here Saturday

Opting to bat, Kolkata Knight Riders shot off to a rousing start as skipper Gautam Gambhir partnering Yusuf Pathan up the order, hit some fluent boundaries.

Pathan, going through a lean patch, responded well after being promoted to open the innings as he sent the very first ball he faced crashing to the boundary. However, the partnership ended when Gambhir 25 (19b, 5x4) holed out into the deep off the bowling of Chris Morris in the sixth over with the score reading 46.

Disaster struck in the very next ball of the new over when new batsman Jacques Kallis was brilliantly run out by S Badrinath. The alrounder had to take the long walk back even without facing a ball.

Panic was writ large on KKR batsmen after the fall of two quick wickets, the results of which was a double bonanza for the Super Kings when man in form Eoin Morgan and Pathan perished in the eighth over leaving the hosts reeling at 55/4.

Morgan (2) was foxed by a slower Dwayne Bravo delivery to be snapped by Ravinder Jadeja ,while the seemingly confident Pathan 25 (22b 4x4) got run out following a misunderstanding with fellow batsman Manoj Tiwary.

Debabrata Das who joined Tiwary after the fall of Pathan, hit two giant sixes to bring cheers for the home crowd as the duo looked to repair the damage.

But Das (19) was trapped in front by R Ashwin, before the lacklustre Tiwary (13) (18b), who is yet to come good with the bat, once again failed to impress and perished in the deep when he heaved an Ashwin delivery.

The cavalcade of wickets continued as the Super Kings bowled and fielded spiritedly to tighten the noose around the hosts. Jadeja saw the back of Rajat Bhatia (1) and Laxmi Ratan Shukla (1) in the same over to leave the hosts tottering at 91/8.

The Knights bowling trumpcard Offie Sunil Narine (13; 6b, 2x6) then played a cameo including two towering sixes to take his team past the 100 mark. But he too did not last long and was snared in the deep off the bowling of Jadeja.

Jadeja finished with 3/20 followed by Ashwin (2/21).