Andre Russell takes KKR to top

KOLKATA: Andre Russell returned with a four-wicket haul to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a sevenrun win over Kings XI Punjab and go atop the points table in their return to home in the Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament here on Wednesday. Put into bat, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa blasted half-centuries to give Kolkata Knight Riders a perfect launchpad but Kings XI Punjab did well to restrict them to a modest 164/3. The hosts then returned to restrict Punjab to 157-9 in their stipulated 20 overs, despite a strokeful 68 off 42 balls by Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and a 7-ball 21-run cameo by Axar Patel down the order. Put into bat, the two-time former champions Kolkata once again got off to solid start with Gambhir (54 from 45 balls; 6×4, 1×6) and Uthappa (70 from 49 balls; 6×4, 2×6) setting up a firm foundation in a 101-run partnership from 13.3 overs. It was their highest opening wicket stand this season, and third overall century partnership, that put them in right stead but their star duo of Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell failed to bring up their last match’s heroics to be content with a total which could have been much bigger. In reply, KXIP were reduced to 13/3 in 19 balls with Russell’s twin blows in his first two overs and Morne Morkel dismissing skipper Murali Vijay (6) cheaply. In Wriddhiman Saha (24 from 20 balls; 3×4), the Punjab franchise got some hope but the local lad got out to a poor shot dragging a wide delivery to his stumps. At 53/4 in 9 overs, the Kings were staring at their sixth loss this season but Maxwell held fort with his superb innings which was laced with six fours and four sixes to keep them in the hunt in a crucial 67-run partnership from 40 balls with David Miller (13). But Piyush Chawla (2/27) trapped the Aussie with a wrong one to swing the fortunes for KKR in the 16th over. There was more drama in store when Patel smacked Russell to two successive sixes as KXIP needed 12 runs from the last overs but Russell ran out the lefthander in the second ball to seal the issue. Earlier, skipper Gambhir continued his sublime form to notch up his fourth halfcentury of the season, while his opening partner Uthappa too followed suit for his third fifty as KKR never had any trouble against an innocuous KXIP attack. (PTI)