This match will be remembered for two reasons, first because of atrocious fielding from both sides and secondly due to Gautam Gambhir captain’s inning that sets a four-wicket win for the Kolkata Knight Riders over the Lahore Lions in the Champions League.
Surely, both teams will be kicking themselves, Lahore in particular, because of a number of catches they dropped in the tie. The Lions, however, managed to stick to few at the end but it proved too late too little for them.
Meanwhile, Gambhir led from the front and scored a scorching half-century to help his side register second consecutive win in the tournament. However, after Gambhir’s departure, Knight Riders lost few quick wickets but till then the win was within touching distance.
The southpaw was in total command of the proceedings right from the start and made a 100-run opening wicket partnership with returning Robin Uthappa. Uthappa missed out on a fifty but he played well for his 34-ball 46.
Gambhir (60) soon followed Uthappa to the dressing room and the Knight Riders lost wickets in bunches. There was a moment of scare in the KKR dugout, when Manvinder Bisla (6), Yusuf Pathan (11), Ryan ten Doeschate (12) and Andre Russell (1) fell cheaply.
Suryakumar Yadav (14 not out), however, made sure that KKR reach home without any more hiccups and he played a five-ball cameo at the end.
Earlier, put into bat, the Lahore Lions innings was off to a solid start as opener Nasir Jamshed (10) and Ahmed Shehzad (59) stitched a 50-run partnership. Once KKR got the first breakthrough, they ripped through the Lions’ batting order.
The Pakistani batsmen looked clueless against Sunil Narine and he finished with three wickets. He could have got more, if the Knight Riders had shown a better display on the field and stick to the changes that came their way.
Umar Akmal, however, played a scorching innings at the end and put Lions’ innings back on track. He and Wahab Riaz made a 48-run partnership for the seventh wicket to help his side cross the 150 runs mark.
A 152-run target, however, proved insufficient as the reigning Indian Premier League champions chased down the total, with three balls remaining.
