Uthappa, Pandey steer KKR to challenging 166/5

Robin Uthappa (55) and Manish Pandey (48) batted sensibly under pressure to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a competitive 166 for five against Delhi Daredevils in an IPL Twenty20 cricket match, here today.
Uthappa patiently added 64 runs for the third wicket with Pandey and then quickly shared a 57-run stand for the fourth wicket Shakib Al Hasan (30 not out) to lift KKR to a decent total after electing to bat.
KKR had lost both the openers cheaply but Uthappa and Pandey set the platform for an exciting finish as they collected 103 runs in the last 10 overs.

Pandey's 48 came off 42 balls with five shots to the fence while Uthappa took 41 balls for his knock, which had six boundaries.
Hasan also played a crucial role in KKR's progress with his unbeaten cameo off 22 balls. He hit a six and two fours.
Pacemen Mohammed Shami and Nathan Coulter-Nile provided a sensational start to Delhi by removing both the openers before they could even open their accounts.

Shami had dangerman Jacques Kallis caught at first slip for a golden duck while Coulter-Nile extended Gautam Gambhir's poor run by having the KKR skipper caught in leg-slip region for his second successive duck in the tournament.

Shami struggled for control but swung the ball both ways to trouble the KKR batsmen. In bowling friendly conditions, boundaries were hard to come, so Pandey and Uthappa relied on singles and twos to steady the innings.
KKR innings' first four came in the fifth over when Pandey pulled one from Shami to mid-wicket boundary. The two batsmen batted cautiously and took their side to 63 for two at half-way stage.
Pandey broke the shackles by hitting Shabaz Nadeem for two successive boundaries but the left-arm spinner got his revenge by castling the batsman in the last ball of 11th over.

Hasan was aggressive from the start as he lifted Nadeem for a six over mid-wicket and Uthappa creamed off a six and a four off Jimmy Neesham to take KKR total 112 for three from 15 overs.
Uthappa departed shortly after completing his fifty but Hasan stayed on smartly to end the innings in style.