Sharjah: Sharjah Cricket Stadium lived up to its reputation of producing thrilling finishes on Thursday night after Kolkata Knight Riders snapped the winning run of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 with a two-run victory.
Needing nine runs off the last over, Chris Lynn pulled off a miraculous catch at deep mid-wicket off AB de Villiers. Vinay Kumar, who bowled the last over, gave away just six runs after their master blasters Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and De Villiers had seemingly put them on the road to victory. Kohli and Singh had put on 55 runs in 7.5 overs, while the Bangalore openers Parthiv Patel and Yogesh Takawale compiled 67 runs in just 7.4 overs
Takawale hit eight boundaries in his knock of 40 before being trapped leg-before by Jacques Kallis. Patel followed his teammate to the pavilion after offering an easy catch to Lynn at cover for 21 off a slower delivery from Kumar.
Kohli and Yuvraj kept the scoreboard moving and, at end of the 10th over, they needed just 74 runs from 10 overs. Singh pulled Umesh Yadav over midwicket into the crowd for his first six. Kohli continued to exhibit his delectable shots and, off the 13th over bowled by Kallis, he cracked through successive extra-cover drives to the boundary.
The pair put on 55 runs in 7.5 overs when Sunil Narine produced a beauty to beat the inside edge of Kohli’s bat, flick the front pad and hit the off stump bail for 31.
Earlier, Bangalore won the toss and elected to bowl in front of a packed stadium,
Australia’s 24-year-old batsman Lynn cracked 45 off 31 balls with three boundaries and three sixes, while veteran South African Kallis hit 43 off 42 balls, with two boundaries and a six.
It was a sensational first over from Mitchell Starc as, with the third ball, he trapped Kolkata skipper Gambhir leg-before for a third successive duck for the out-of-form ex-India opener. With the second ball of the next over from Albie Morkel, Kolkata’s in-form batsman Manish Pandey also perished after playing into the hands of Kohli at cover point for 5.
Kallis hit the first four of the day, punching Morkel past mid-on. He also hit Starc delectably past point for another boundary. Lynn, who joined Kallis at the crease, hit a Varun Aaron delivery past mid-off to bring up his first boundary.
In the fifth over, Lynn hit two consecutive boundaries, the first through cover and another through extra cover.
Sri Lanka legend Murali Muralitharan was introduced in the seventh over and Lynn hit him for two sixes. The first six was hit by going down on his knees towards midwicket and the second was thrashed over square leg. Lynn went from strength to strength and in the eight over, smashed a delivery from leg-break googly bowler Yuzendra Chahal over deep midwicket to score his third six.
The run rate was further accelerated when Kallis hit a Muralitharan ball past square leg for his first six. By the end of the 10th over, Kolkata were 82 for 2, wiping away the impact of the two early wickets.
Lynn, who looked set for a half-century, fell five runs short of it when Aaron had him caught by De Villiers at long-off. His innings of 45 off 31 balls contained three boundaries and three sixes.
Kallis was then bowled, caught at deep-extra cover by Takawale off Chahal. Though Yusuf Patahn fell for a duck, Robin Uthappa’s 18-ball 22 and Suryaumar Yadav’s 24 off 18 balls ensured a total of 150 runs.
