Skipper Gambhir slams 31-ball 55 as KKR register maiden CLT20 win, by nine wickets vs RCB
Skipper Gambhir slams 31-ball 55 as KKR register maiden CLT20 win, by nine wickets vs RCB
Powered by some lusty hits by captain Gautam Gambhir (55 off 31) and opener Jacques Kallis (64 off 47), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by nine wickets to register their maiden win in the Champions League T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday. 
Lead role: Gautam Gambhir during his quickfire 55 yesterday. Pic/AFP
In reply to RCB's 169-9, the Kolkata side achieved the target in 17.3 overs, losing just the wicket of Brad Haddin (42 off 27). Gambhir slammed three boundaries and four sixes, while Kallis smashed four fours and a six.
Earlier, it was skipper Daniel Vettori's 44 off 23 and a quickfire 18-ball25 by the lesser-known Raju Bhatkal that guided RCB to a formidable 169 for nine. At one stage, the Bangalore outfit was struggling on 91 for six in the 14th over, before Vettori and Bhatkal came to the rescue.
In his 44, Vettori hit the ball to the ropes five times and cleared the ropes twice, while Bhatkal's knock included two boundaries and a six. The pair batted sensibly and added 61 in only 5.2 overs as the KKR bowlers looked clueless in front of the Kiwi all-rounder, who seemed to be in a murderous mood. The last six overs fetched RCB 75 runs.
Put into bat, RCB were on target from the second over itself. After a maiden from Brett Lee, openers Chris Gayle (25) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (18) upped the ante, with the West Indian slamming two sixes to compensate for the maiden.
Brief Scores: RCB 169-9 (D Vettori 44, C Gayle 25, R Bhatkal 25; I Abdulla 2/20, B Lee 2/34) lost to KKR 171-1
(G Gambhir 55, J Kallis 64, B Haddin 42) by 9 wickets.
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