Kallis and Gambhir keep Knight Riders alive

Kolkata Knight Riders 171 for 1 (Kallis 64*, Gambhir 55*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 169 for 9 (Vettori 44, Bhatkal 25) by nine wickets

	Daniel Vettori rescued Royal Challengers Bangalore after the top order had failed © Associated Press

Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back to inflict a comprehensive defeat on Royal Challengers Bangalore to keep their own hopes alive in this tournament while making survival difficult for their opponents. A delightful cameo from the home captain Daniel Vettori seemed to have set up a close encounter, but the Knight Riders dominated the chase, reminding the Royal Challengers of what they should have done with the bat on a good pitch instead of leaving the lower order with the task of putting up a fight. Brad Haddin, replacing Shakib Al Hasan, did full justice to his role by delivering a flier at the start while the ever-so-reliable Jacques Kallis anchored the reply with support from Gautam Gambhir.

The Knight Riders were left angered and frustrated by Vettori's crafty batsmanship at the death in the Royal Challengers' innings, but didn't let that affect them in the chase. A spate of misfields and fumbles drew ire from Gambhir, but the batting was calm yet clinical in its approach. Haddin gave the initial push by stepping up in the second over of the chase, smacking the left-arm seamer S Aravind, who's won a call-up to the Indian squad for the ODIs against England, for three consecutive fours as the bowler struggled with his line.

Haddin's approach came with risks, and there was the seemingly inevitable miscue but it wasn't mindless aggression. He used his feet well against spin, charging out to J Syed Mohammad and dispatching him over long-on, and waiting patiently for Vettori to slip in a bad ball - and he did - before punishing it past point. He was unforgiving against a clutter of length deliveries from a struggling Aravind, carving them for sixes over midwicket and the bowler's head, interspersed by a slog for a four. When he fell with the score on 62 in the eighth over, the platform had been laid.

The consolidation, as the rest of the chase, seemed meticulously planned. Kallis ceded floor to Gambhir, as he had done to Haddin after launching a six over long-on early in the innings, and the Knight Riders captain played his role superbly. The Royal Challengers had faltered in the field in their previous defeat, and a half-chance that went down was perhaps the one big opportunity they had of a comeback. Saurabh Tiwary failed to latch on to a catch from Gambhir at the long-off boundary, lost his balance and crashed into his coach in the dugout. Gambhir was on 2 then, his only blip.

As the field spread out, the singles were on offer aplenty and the pair rotated the strike comfortably, the required rate in control all through. The timely bursts were provided by Gambhir, who hammered Syed to the straight boundary and past point and clipping an off-the-mark Dirk Nannes past short fine. The Royal Challengers didn't help their cause by doling out extra runs, either by way of overthrows or wides. Nannes was singled out for punishment in the final surge, Kallis reaching his fifty albeit with a streaky bottom edge while Gambhir scarred him with massive sixes over long-on and square leg. That over, the 16th, fetched 24, the win was complete shortly after and a team staring at the possibility of elimination ensured no other team in the group rests easy for the remainder of the league stage.

A spirited performance from the Knight Riders bowlers helped them have the advantage for 14 overs of the hosts' innings, the early assault from Chris Gayle being the only highlight with the bat until then. But Kallis' stirring reply after being hit for six - a yorker that knocked out leg stump - backed up by Brett Lee's extra bounce that dislodged Virat Kohli, made up for the early damage. The Royal Challengers didn't make use of their line-up's depth efficiently, losing wickets after their batsmen got partnerships going, holing out needlessly while an uncharacteristically quiet Tilakaratne Dilshan was stumped smartly by Haddin. With his sly shuffles to the off and the use of those powerful wrists, Vettori, amid company from Syed and Raju Bhatkal, sparked a recovery that left the hosts with the momentum at the end of the innings. It wasn't with them for long. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Ferguson blasts South Australia to victory

South Australia 188 for 5 (Ferguson 70*, Christian 42) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 169 for 9 (Tiwary 40, Putland 3-31, Harris 3-42) by 19 runs

	Kane Richardson celebrates after bowling Manvinder Bisla© AFP

Callum Ferguson's transformation, from a batsman who was struggling to find gaps in the field to a big-hitting finisher, helped South Australia earn their first points of the tournament and heal their damaged net run-rate to a certain extent. Ferguson turned the innings against Kolkata Knight Riders around in a single over and then helped ransack 94 off the last six to set up a match-winning 188 on a slow pitch.

The Knight Riders' 19-run defeat was their second loss in as many matches and a severe blow to their chances of progressing from their five-team group. Their chase was hampered by frequent wickets at one end and the lack of strike to Jacques Kallis at the other. The game was up when Yusuf Pathan fell, with the score on 102 for 5 after 14.1 overs, and all Ryan ten Doeschate and the tail could do was narrow the margin of defeat, which looked like being much larger until 59 runs came off the last four overs.

For 15 overs South Australia batted with bluster without being too effective. They slogged, often across the line, and tried to hit everything a bit too hard to reach 94 for 3. Then Ferguson found his fluency, and the boundaries, and added 84 runs with Daniel Christian in 7.2 overs, which changed everything.

Ferguson was dropped on 18 in the 13th over, bowled by Yusuf. He had lofted towards long-on, and Kallis ran in too fast, lost sight of the ball, and nearly got hit on the head as it went past him for four. It was Ferguson's first boundary, coming off his 22nd ball. They came quickly and in abundance after that.

In Yusuf's next over, Ferguson lofted to the straight boundary twice, once for four, once for six. He also pulled with power and paddled delicately, finding the spaces that had eluded him earlier. South Australia scored 20 runs off that over. The acceleration had begun.

The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal is Christian's home ground when he plays for Deccan Chargers in the IPL and he too lit it up. In the 16th over, Christian hit his first boundaries, pulling Iqbal Abdulla to midwicket and sweeping over square leg. He brought up the 50 partnership with Ferguson off 29 balls.

For an over or two Ferguson rode in Christian's slipstream, as the allrounder dismantled the Kinght Riders attack, using force to clear the long-on boundary and deft touch when placing towards fine leg. Christian raced to 42 off 26 balls before holing out to mid-off. Ferguson then ensured a strong finish, pulling Lee into the second tier at midwicket and ending the innings with a massive blow over long-on. Ferguson ended on 70 off 40 balls.

Ferguson played the sort of innings Kallis is known for: a steady, if sedate, start followed by a compelling finish. Kallis, however, was unable to do that today. He didn't get enough strike: at the end of the sixth over, Kallis had faced only eight balls, and only 16 balls after ten. He was caught and bowled for 20 soon after by Daniel Harris, leaving the Knight Riders on 81 for 4.

Kallis' partners had used the majority of the strike to attempt a rash of attacking shots, and perished in the process. Manvinder Bisla struck three fours in the opening over but was bowled in the second by medium-pacer Kane Richardson, whom South Australia had drafted in for this game along with Gary Putland. Putland would finish with 3 for 31. Shakib Al Hasan and Gautam Gambhir hit sparkling boundaries but failed to get past 15.

The contest ended when Yusuf skied Putland towards third man and was caught by Aaron O'Brien, who sprinted back from the circle. It was the first ball off the 15th over, precisely when Ferguson had begun his onslaught in South Australia's innings. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

van der Merwe leads Somerset to tight win

Somerset 164 for 5 (van der Merwe 73, Trego 28) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 161 for 3 (Kallis 74*, Yusuf 39*, Gregory 2-9) by five wickets

Roelof van der Merwe excelled with bat and ball to lead Somerset past Kolkata © AFP

Jacques Kallis showed technical prowess, Yusuf Pathan great power, but the pugnacious Roelof van der Merwe mastered the slow and low track the best to help Somerset chase a daunting 162. Kolkata Knight Riders' late surge with both bat and ball made them work hard for the win, Kolkata looted 78 off the last six overs, and quick wickets meant Somerset had to struggle for 43 off their last seven.

Even when Kallis and Yusuf went berserk, van der Merwe was the only man to hold his own. He went for just 14 from the 18th and 20 overs despite two dropped catches, one of which went for four. With the bat in hand he was an absolute jack in the box, reverse-sweeping sixes, managing to mishit over the infield, drop-kicking his favourite cricketer Kallis over midwicket, late-cutting the spinners delicately, and scoring the third-fastest Champions league fifty.

It would have been easy for Somerset to feel disheartened after part-timer Arul Suppiah conceded 30 off the 15th over, or feel hard done by Brett Lee's getting away with clear overhead bouncers and Alfonso Thomas' being penalised for a border-line slower bouncer with Kallis down on his knees. Especially when Thomas followed that harsh call with a high full toss that Kallis duly deposited for a six.

Somerset, though, got stuck in. And like with the ball van, der Merwe was the man with the bat. He came in to bat when Iqbal Abdulla struck with the first ball off the second over, but dominated so much that Peter Trego managed only 23 out of a 105-run second-wicket stand. He began with an edge through the vacant first slip region, but proceeded to counter Abdulla and Shakib Al Hasan with lovely late-cutting. It frustrated Kolkata so much that Manoj Tiwary - wired up for live-time interviews - berated his spinners on air for not turning the ball at all. The reverse-swept six off Shakib worked a treat.

Kallis, who had worked hard in the first innings for his 74, was picked up for a six over midwicket and then upper-cut over the keeper's head. That it was his devotee hitting him out of the attack made it more interesting to watch. At that time Somerset had reached 107 in 10 overs, and all they needed was milking. Kolkata, though, weren't quite bovine, and Shakib brought them back. He dropped a caught-and-bowled from Trego but produced a direct-hit to run him out. The one from van der Merwe in the same over he gleefully accepted.

With two new batsmen in, the pitch was back to being a mud-wrestling arena. The ball held up from the middle of the pitch, and stroke-making was difficult again. Nick Compton, Arul Suppiah and Steve Snell kept their cool for long enough to see them through with two balls to spare.

It was similar sensible batting from Kallis that had kept Kolkata alive in the first quarter of the game. With Somerset bowlers using the slow track well and the fielders giving hardly anything away, Kallis had to use all his technique and judgement. It took him 39 deliveries to reach a strike-rate of 100. That was in the 14th over, when he hit his first six to take Kolkata to 82, off the 82nd legal delivery. In the next over, Thomas, the exemplary Somerset captain, gambled. He asked part-time spinner Suppiah to bowl. He was the seventh bowler used, and the run-rate of six an over then didn't suggest Somerset needed overs to be made up. Perhaps Thomas was greedy with the slow track now.

Yusuf seized the moment. He stood still, waited for the full flat deliveries and kept swinging to leg, hitting four consecutive sixes. Eighty-three had become 113 in one over, and clearly the fielding side, who had played smart cricket until then, was rattled. Catches were dropped, overthrows conceded, Kallis joined in in the fun too, but van der Merwe was still in their face. He would continue to be there with the bat too. © ESPN EMEA Ltd

Kolkata lose, but qualify alongside Somerset

Somerset 166 for 6 (Trego 70, van der Merwe 40) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 155 for 8 (ten Doeschate 46, van der Merwe 2-23) by 11 runs

	Ryan ten Doeschate could not carry Kolkata to a win, but he did enough to steer them into the CLT20's main draw © AFP

Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League. Kolkata needed 153 to qualify after Somerset had waltzed to an imposing 166 for 6 and, at 57 for 4 in the 10th over, seemed to have lost the final spot to Ruhuna. ten Doeschate however pulled off a special heist to ensure there will be four IPL teams in the main draw.

Ruhuna ended up the biggest losers of the day, and Kolkata celebrated jubilantly despite falling short 12 of victory, but Somerset deserved the most praise. They arrived for the tournament bleary-eyed and dispirited, two days after losing their fifth domestic final in two years, and without many of their first-choice players. If they were knackered, they didn't show it: Peter Trego batted with freedom, Roelof van der Merwe was typically tigerish with bat and on the field, and the three-pronged spin attack was ruthless to the end.

Kolkata were at the other end of the spectrum, and their struggles were epitomised by the inability of Manoj Tiwary and Shreevats Goswami - batsmen bred on slow tracks - to force the pace against spin. That Kolkata had lost the in-form Manvinder Bisla and captain Jacques Kallis early did not help matters, and things became worse when the legspinner Max Waller disloged both Tiwary and Goswami. Thereafter, ten Doeschate owned the night.

He announced himself with a lofted drive that Nick Compton palmed over the ropes at long-off, but that was the closest he came to being dismissed. With the asking-rate hovering out of reach, he dabbed Trego through point before whipping Arul Suppiah over midwicket for six. Yusuf Pathan was surprisingly subdued in his brief stay, but by the time he exited it was clear that the wicket that mattered was at the other end.

Shakib Al Hasan's stay was ended by a blinder in the outfield from van der Merwe, who single-handedly underlined the difference in fielding standards between the sides. Rajat Bhatia then held his nerve in a 30-run stand that took Kolkata close, while ten Doeschate continued to produce the fireworks with an audacious whip over midwicket for his third six. Van der Merwe dismissed both batsmen in the final over, but it wasn't enough to stop Kolkata.

Earlier, Somerset showed they had better methods against spin than their county rivals Leicestershire had displayed earlier in the day. Trego went after Iqbal Abdulla despite not always managing to reach the flight, and his enterprise forced Jacques Kallis to rely on seamers more than he would have liked, a move that played into Somerset's hands.

They moved to 56 for 1 after eight overs, at which point Trego shifted gears against Bhatia's mind-numbingly predictable lack of pace. Trego lost his balance while pulling him for four before cutting late for another boundary. The next over went for 17 as van der Merwe exploded against a raft of long-hops from Yusuf. Jaidev Unadkat gave Kolkata some respite when he got van der Merwe pulling to midwicket, and James Hildreth with a slower ball, but Trego bustled along unfettered, scoring his boundaries with a series of correct strokes. Unadkat was drilled through the covers, Jacques Kallis pulled through midwicket, and the Kolkata shoulders began to droop in a hurry.

Trego was starved of strike a touch in the end overs, but it did not seem to matter as Compton ramped Lee for six and stole a found a couple of inventive boundaries. More importantly for Somerset, Kolkata stayed generous right to the last over, with Unadkat making a hash of a regulation save at midwicket, and Lee getting a wicket of a no-ball. Kolkata's fielders had done themselves no favours, but the itinerary that gave them the chance to play the last innings of the qualifier stage was about to.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd

Kolkata matches switched to Bangalore, Hyderabad

Heavy rain in Kolkata has forced the Champions League Twenty20 governing council to move the four scheduled matches at Eden Gardens to Hyderabad and Bangalore, subject to approval from the local authorities.

The Group B matches scheduled for September 25 and 27 will now take place in Hyderabad, while the match on September 29 involving Royal Challengers Bangalore and a team from the current qualifier will be played in Bangalore.

"With regret and in the best interests of the tournament, CAB [Cricket Association of Bengal] and CLT20 have reluctantly agreed to moving its four scheduled Group B matches away from Eden Gardens due to the heavy rains that have deluged Kolkata," Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of CAB, said in a statement.

"We're disappointed that we're not able to host the matches, but this decision was unavoidable and taken out of our hands due to the current weather conditions. We wish CLT20 luck for the tournament and hope CAB will have the chance to host the event in the coming years." © ESPN EMEA Ltd

Slow bowlers take Kolkata to dramatic win

Kolkata Knight Riders 121 for 6 (Bisla 45, Kallis 33, Mills 2-24) beat Auckland Aces 119 for 6 (Vincent 40, Yusuf 2-21) by two runs

	Manvinder Bisla was Kolkata's top-scorer with 45 © AFP

Kolkata Knight Riders edged out Champions League debutants Auckland Aces, successfully defending 121 in the sides' first qualifier. Kolkata ran away with 72 for 0 in the first nine overs before the tenacious Auckland side pulled the game back, conceding just 49 runs in the remaining 11. Lou Vincent then scored 30 of his 40 runs in boundaries, even threatening a huge net run-rate advantage, but his run-out was followed by two wickets in three balls from Yusuf Pathan. The squeeze by Kolkata's slower bowlers, who went for 66 in their 14 overs, left Auckland 22 to get off the last two. Andre Adams hit Jacques Kallis for a straight six to get 11 off the 19th, but Brett Lee's yorkers proved too good for him and Kyle Mills.

The game was full of turnarounds. The first one came after Manvinder Bisla and Kallis got Kolkata's campaign off to a smashing start. The inside-out shot over extra cover was a favourite for both, and Bisla was especially harsh on Chris Martin who bowled Test lengths to begin with. Bisla found them easy to pull and drive on the up. The left-arm seamer Michael Bates brought some control with his angle and extra bounce, and in his second over he produced a leading edge from Bisla.

Left-arm spinner Ronnie Hira and Martin then choked the runs a bit, and Kolkata started playing imprudent shots. Kallis would later say they had over-aimed. Yusuf was the first to show frustration, slogging all around a straight Adams delivery. Kallis fell next when he followed a spell of nine balls for seven runs with a heave straight to deep square leg. Two balls later, Manoj Tiwary slogged too, and the stumps lay splayed again. A couple of run-outs followed, and Kolkata never managed a final charge. Bates finished with figures of 4-0-13-1.

The run-out virus carried forward into the chase as Martin Guptill ran himself out without even facing a delivery. The decisive one, though, was yet to come. Before that, Vincent drove, cut and pulled with aplomb to take Auckland to 48 in six, bringing the asking-rate down to 5.28. Rajat Bhatia, now famous in Indian domestic Twenty20 competitions for his slow, rolling legcutters, and Yusuf bowled the next three overs for 12 runs. The last ball of those three featured impatience from Vincent, who charged off after hitting straight to cover, and couldn't make it back from eight yards.

Yusuf then bowled two full deliveries on the pads that hardly turned, but Jimmy Adams and Rob Quiney somehow managed two leading edges, and Yusuf had two caught-and-bowled dismissals in the space of three balls. Another left-hand batsman, Colin Munro, scratched around for 19 off 29 before leaving Auckland an improbable task in the last two.

The pitch was slow, the bowlers were steady, but neither of them or the combination thereof was unplayable. Somehow, though, faced with accurate bowling and alert fielding, Auckland allowed themselves to be pushed into a corner until the required-rate reached 11 for the last two. Kallis then bowled his first over, removing Munro first ball and watching the second sail over the straight boundary. Mills and Adams ran hard, but Lee produced a good last over to give Kolkata a crucial win on a day when they didn't play exceptional cricket. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s Powerplay 16-20 overs NB/Wides Kolkata Knight Riders 49 12 1 46/0 24/2 0/1 Auckland 54 10 2 48/1 32/1 1/1

Champions League T20 to have 13 teams, qualifying stage

Mumbai: The Champions League T20 will have 13 teams this time around with six of them fighting it out in the qualifiers.


In pic: Chennai Super Kings pose with the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 trophy

The tournament will be held in two parts. The main event, scheduled from September 23 to October 9 in Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, will be preceded by the qualifying stage Sep 19-21 in Hyderabad.

Like in the last edition, the main event will have 10 teams vying for top honours and three of those of sides will come from the qualifiers.

The new format has brought another Indian entry into the tournament with Kolkata Knight Riders being invited to play in the qualifiers. They finished fourth in this year's Indian Premier League and will be competing with the West Indies T20 Champions Trinidad and Tobago and the winners of the HRV Cup, New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 competition - Auckland Aces - alongside two teams from England and one from Sri Lanka which are yet to be decided.

The three qualifiers will meet the seven teams who have already qualified for the world's biggest T20 competition for domestic teams. The teams who have already qualified comprise the top three from the Indian Premier League - Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians; the top two from the Big Bash in Australia - South Australia Redbacks and New South Wales; and South Africa's Warriors and Cape Cobras.

The sides in the main round will be divided into two groups of five, with the top two from each qualifying for the semifinals.

The opening game of the main round will be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and the semifinals and final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. — IANS

Gambhir will be dropped if he is unfit, says BCCI

New Delhi: The Indian cricket board Thursday said Gautam Gambhir will be dropped from the tour to the West Indies if he is found unfit.


In pic: Injured Gambhir (right)

"We are looking into his medical report and he will be dropped from the squad if he is found unfit," board secretary N. Srinivasan told IANS.

Gambhir was appointed captain for the Twenty20 and ODI fixtures for the West Indies tour in absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been rested.

Captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier league, Gambhir has been advised rest for six weeks to nurse his "sore shoulder" which he was carrying right through the IPL tournament.

He had injured the shoulder during the final of the World Cup against Sri Lanka in April and if he is rested Suresh Raina will be leading the team in the ODI series starting June 4.

Knight Riders' team physio Andrew Leipus, in a letter to the BCCI said that Gambhir needs at least four-six weeks of rest and also asked the board's medical committee to look into the player's injury management.

"The clinical findings supported the mechanism of the onset of the acute injury. However, he did report having corticosteroid injections on two occasions over the previous few years. In the last match, where KKR played MI, Gautam again felt an aggravation of the shoulder pain on one particular throw," Leipus said in his letter.

"On arrival in Mumbai, we thought it was prudent to get both an MRI and a consultation with a leading shoulder orthopaedic surgeon. Both the doctor and myself believe that he should follow an intensive, supervised and conservative rehabilitation pathway. But for the best outcome, he will need to avoid both throwing and batting for a period of 4-6 weeks," the letter said.

"In this regard, I would expect that the BCCI medical committee would need to consider the ongoing management of Gautam's shoulder injury beyond the IPL and the possibility of his missing any immediate future tours until the shoulder is fully rehabilitated," the letter added. — IANS

Mumbai prevail on night of nerves

Mumbai Indians 148 for 6 (Blizzard 51, Tendulkar 36, Kallis 2-18, Shakib 2-24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders147 for 7 (ten Doeschate 70*, Munaf 3-27) by four wickets

	Aiden Blizzard's early blitz allowed Mumbai Indians the cushion to overcome a middle-overs crisis © Associated Press

Kolkata Knight Riders began nervously, Mumbai Indians finished similarly, but it was Mumbai who booked a place in the Champions League T20 and in the semi-final equivalent of IPL 2009. What will irk Kolkata is that they were the better side for 39 overs in the previous match between these sides, but one bad over then set up this rematch in the quarter-final equivalent. Mumbai then did enough to make use on the second chance.

Kolkata's top order came out trying too hard for a big start, losing four wickets for 20, and Ryan ten Doeschate's 70 was not recovery enough on a good Wankhede track with short boundaries. A blazing start from Aiden Blizzard and Sachin Tendulkar seemed to have put to rest Mumbai's habit of muddled chases, but they choked again. For the second consecutive game, though, James Franklin scuppered Kolkata's hopes. This time, with much more on the line, he produced a less dramatic, but more assured 29.

Munaf Patel bowled smartly to capitalise on Kolkata's palpable nervous energy, taking three wickets, including those of Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan. It was a subtle change-up immediately after being driven for four that sent Kallis back. The wicket-taking delivery was pitched in the same area, but was bowled with a scrambled seam and was hence a touch slower. The slice settled with a diving Tendulkar.

Gautam Gambhir, Shreevats Goswami and Manoj Tiwary concentrated just on the boundaries, in the process failing to place the good balls for singles. The dot balls mounted, and all three fell to shots they would normally not play. ten Deoschate played sensibly, though, looking for singles and punishing the bad balls. That calm rubbed off on Yusuf, their 60-run stand took the run-rate past six an over, and a big finish could not have been ruled out.

Munaf, though, returned to interrupt the comeback with more clever bowling. Convinced that the short ball would trouble Yusuf, he let his Baroda team-mate have some. The first one took a top edge for four, the second went for a single along the ground, and the third one was mistimed over midwicket. Munaf persisted, and with his fourth bouncer of the over, he sent his man back.

Ambati Rayudu, a part-time wicketkeeper, proceeded to miss ten Doeschate and Shakib Al Hasan in the next two overs. ten Doeschate went on to score the highest for a No. 6 this IPL and Kolkata got 60 in the last six, yet a blazing start to the chase was always going to knock them out. Blizzard and Tendulkar provided just that. Blizzard relished the pace of Brett Lee, Tendulkar took care of the spin of Iqbal Abdulla and Yusuf Pathan. A lot of class and a lot of power merged effectively to bring up the fifty in the fifth over. There was remote semblance of redemption for Lee when he came back to remove Blizzard, but not before the batsman had hit him for four and six in that over.

Then Mumbai stumbled. Rohit Sharma ran himself out, Tendulkar fell to a sharp bouncer, and Rayudu seemed to have been sawn off. From 81 for 0 in the eighth over, Mumbai had been reduced to 103 for 4 in the 13th. A mini partnership happened, but Shakib trapped Pollard to make it 123 for 5. T Suman couldn't handle the nerves and holed out to long-off.

The asking rate now crossed a run a ball for the last two overs, but a top edge off Lee's first ball brought it back to 11 off 11. L Balaji, who failed to defend 21 in the last match, didn't get a shot at redemption. The last over went to Shakib - his figures 3-0-17-2 until then - who needed to defend seven. Harbhajan lofted the second ball over midwicket, and let out a roar. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Mumbai edge past Kolkata in last-ball finish

Mumbai Indians 178 for 5 (Franklin 45*, Tendulkar 38, Bhatia 3-22) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Kallis 59, Yusuf 36, Tiwary 35) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	James Franklin followed up his two wickets with a match-winning 45 © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians at Kolkata Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders had their Champions League debut all but booked when they began the last over with 21 to defend. Three edged boundaries off L Balaji and two missed yorkers later, James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu had seen Mumbai Indians to a highly unlikely win, breaking their three-match losing streak. The win set up a repeat clash between the two teams in the eliminator, an equivalent of a quarter-final.

In all the chaos of the last over, which stunned the full house at Eden Gardens, Chennai Super Kings emerged the biggest gainers. Had Kolkata won the game, which they should have despite all those edges, Chennai would have finished third, and would have had to win two games in order to make the final. Now they need win only one of the two.

Match Meter MI Kolkata lose two early Mumbai strike early to reduce Kolkata to 22 for 2, including Gautam Gambhir's wicket. KKR Tiwary, Yusuf counterattack With Jacques Kallis solid around them, Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan attack Mumbai to take Kolkata to 124 for 4 after 16 overs. KKR Kallis assaults late Kallis goes from 40 off 37 to 59 off 42 to give Kolkata a big finish. KKRMI Tendulkar, Harbhajan chip away Sachin Tendulkar and a promoted Harbhajan Singh keep up with the asking rate, taking Mumbai to 70 for 1 in eight overs. KKR Bhatia strikes Rajat Bhatia takes three wickets in three overs to reduce Mumbai to96 for 4 in the 13th over. MI The last over Mumbai need 21 off the last over, but Franklin and Rayudu manage it through a mix of edges and held nerves. Advantage Honours even

Mumbai gained too: they needed to finish the chase off in 5.1 overs to make it to the top two, but by beating Kolkata they could have ensured a psychological advantage in their eliminator. For the best part of their 19 overs of batting, Mumbai scarcely looked like a team that could do so. Iqbal Abdulla removed T Suman in the second over, the pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh managed 30 off 29, and Rajat Bhatia's leg-rollers broke the batting order's back with thee wickets in three overs.

At 96 for 4 in the 13th over, it seemed too much was left for Kieron Pollard and Franklin. Pollard lived up to that expectation, but Franklin kept the fight up mostly with well-placed couples. A six and a four in between meant Mumbai were not completely out of it even when Balaji ripped Pollard's leg stump out with 40 required off 15.

If this was robbery in broad floodlights, Kolkata weren't the most vigilant victims either. As much as the edged boundaries in the last over, Kolkata will also look back at little moments towards the end that proved to be decisive. Balaji bowled a wide with one ball left in the 18th over, and Ambati Rayudu lofted the compensation delivery over extra cover for a six. It wouldn't be Rayudu's last six of the night.

The last ball of the 19th over hit Rayudu in the pad and rolled towards the keeper. The batsmen had all but stolen a leg-bye when wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami went for a direct hit, and conceded an overthrow. That kept Franklin - 28 off 18 now - on strike for the last over. L Balaji went for a wide yorker first ball, and a thick edge off the low full toss went between the keeper and the short third man. A slower bouncer followed, and the tope edge cleared the keeper again. Thirteen off four now looked so much more gettable.

Balaji went back to the wide-yorker plan, and Franklin smacked the next low full toss past extra cover for four. Under pressure and in the face of some ill luck, Balaji was just not landing them right. The next ball was a low, wide full toss again, and another thick edge beat third man to make it five of two. The next low full toss found extra cover, and brought Kolkata some relief. However, just then Balaji chose to bowl the worst delivery of the over - a high full toss on the pads - and Rayudu helped himself to his second, and decisive, six.

The stunned Eden gardens crowd could scarcely believe what they were seeing after they had cheered their team all night to what looked like a comfortable win. Most of it was thanks to Jacques Kallis who batted solidly at first and rapaciously towards the end. Along the way he was helped by breezy 30s from Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan, but it was Kallis who provided the innings the final impetus with 19 off the last five balls he faced. It was fitting then that the man who minimised the damage with the wickets of Kallis and Yusuf was none other than Franklin. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.