Narine and Kallis star as KKR dent RCB's hopes

RANCHI: The Kolkata Knight Riders kept their slim chances alive by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets, with four balls remaining, in a low-scoring game at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. A disciplined bowling performance by 'home' side KKR ensured that RCB were restricted to a modest total of 115, with Sunil Narine once again being the star of the show, bagging four wickets for 22 runs. But Gautam Gambhir's men seemed to be making heavy weather of the chase until Jacques Kallis (41 off 45, 4x4), Manoj Tiwary and Ryan ten Doeschate ensured there would be no further hiccups. Yusuf Pathan too chipped in with a cameo but in the end it was Doeschate who kept his nerve to give KKR something to play for in the remaining ties. Kallis was lucky to survive when on three he top-edged a Ravi Rampaul delivery, but RCB's Abhimanyu Mithun made a mess of things at the fine-leg boundary. Electing to field first, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir opened with Sri Lankan off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake on the slow pitch to keep RCB quiet. RCB found boundaries hard to come by and only 22 runs came in the first six overs, the lowest Powerplay score in this edition of the league. KKR wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla's smart work was the undoing of Gayle. The West Indian star opener departed after an uncharacteristic 33 off 36 balls (1x4, 1x6). Source: TOI