Narine triumphs in battle with Warner

The match in a tweet: Yusuf Pathan powers KKR to 171 before their spinners created havoc to restrict Sunrisers to 149 and in the process guarantee a place in the play-offs.

The Result: Kolkata Knight Riders 6-171 from 20 overs defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad 8-149 by 22 runs.

The hero: When Yusuf Pathan starts lofting the ball there is simply no ground big enough for him. Chancing his arm, Pathan made the most of his luck by bludgeoning the ball to all parts and scoring a brisk 52 from 34 balls. Pathan was particularly destructive against leg-spinner Karn Sharma, hammering him for three towering sixes. Charging the bowlers at every chance, Pathan forced the pressure back on the Sunrisers bowlers and propelled his team to a good total.

The support cast: Manish Pandey played the role of the anchor and the aggressor to ensure Kolkata posted a total that was formidable on a turning pitch. Since returning from chicken pox Pandey had found it difficult to gain his touch, but today on a slow pitch he rediscovered his early season form. Playing the ball late and using the sweep to great effect, Pandey scored 48 from 30 at a strike-rate of 160, hitting five boundaries in the process.

The spin-strategy:  The Kolkata spinners finally got the pitch they were craving for at the Eden Gardens. With the ball stopping and spinning the Knight Riders spinners almost look unplayable at times. Sunil Narine led the way, the West Indian bamboozling the Hyderabad batsman with as series of googlies, top-spinners, off-spinners and sliders to return with figures of 4-0-26-3. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was equally impressive, picking up the important wickets of Dhawan and Kane Williamson to end with respectable figures of 4-0-28-2. To put it in perspective the KKR spinners managed to pick up six of the eight Sunrisers wickets.

Warner v Narine: In a duel that may be seen again in the upcoming international Tri Series in the West Indies, Narine had the last laugh against David Warner in this match. After the Australian vice-captain used the slog sweep to belt a Narine delivery over the rope for six, the West Indian trickster delivered the perfect comeback by bowling Warner next ball.

The consolation effort:  Losing his partner in crime Warner early, Shikar Dhawan lifted his game to a new level to give Sunrisers some hope of chasing down 171. Dhawan was in imperious touch reaching his fifty in just 29 balls. Timing the ball superbly from the outset, Dhawan constantly pierce the intelligent field set by KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir to hit seven boundaries. However for the Sunrisers to get close to the target Dhawan simply had to bat through to the innings, which he failed to do.

The wash-up:  Kolkata’s win booked them a berth in the play-off and keep their hopes alive of a third IPL title. Given the dominance by the Kolkata spinners, their team management must be asking the curator why such pitches were not offered earlier in the season. Two losses at the end of regular season cost the Sunrisers a double chance in the finals. David Warner will need to regroup his team before starting the finals campaign in couple of day’s time.