Kochi Tuskers beat Knights in close game

Kochi Tuskers Kerala moved up among the top pack in the IPL with a six-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in a close game on a slow and low track at the Eden Gardens.

With their spin duo of Yusuf Pathan (3-20) and Shakib al Hasan (3-28) coming up good, the hosts restricted Kochi Tuskers to 132/7, but then surrendered wickets at regular intervals to manage only 126/9.

Manoj Tiwary's 51-ball 46, studded with two sixes and two fours, went in vain as the visitors continued to surprise in their maiden season by pulling off another magnificent win in a nervy match.

After five games, both teams are on six points alongside Mumbai Indians to occupy the top slots in the leaderboard.

Set a soft asking rate of 6.65, the Knights got the early jitters with their star batsmen Jacques Kallis (6) and skipper Gautam Gambhir (3) back in the dugout by the fifth over. Kallis holed out to deep square leg while Gambhir saw his middle stump uprooted by R P Singh (2-25). With the duo falling in consecutive overs, KKR were 27/2.

Ravindra Jadeja (2-25) then got rid of Manvinder Bisla (16) before Manoj Tiwary and Eoin Morgan tried to steady the ship with a 36-run stand off 38 balls.

Morgan (10) was run out, courtesy a great throw from Man of the Match Mahela Jayawardene, who showed great reflexes. Shakib Al Hasan (2) and Yusuf Pathan (8) then departed early, reducing the Knights to 97/6.

Tiwary tried to step up the run rate but found it difficult to belt the ball away on a tricky wicket and finally perished when he tried to dance down the wicket to Jadeja, missed, and Parthiv Patel brought off a fine stumping.

The Knights needed 14 off the last over but could not get more than 7 as Vinay Kumar bowled some beautiful slower deliveries which kept the batsmen in check.

Earlier, put in to bat, Kochi Tuskers had a sound start with openers Brendon McCullum and Mahela Jayawardene romping to 49 in the seventh over. Kiwi McCullum was particularly severe on pacer Brett Lee and plundered 15 runs, inclusive of two boundaries and a six over deep-midwicket in the Australian's second over.

The rollicking stand was broken when McCullum (23) top-edged Shakib al Hasan to backward point, triggering a mini collapse.

Yusuf Pathan then got into the act, picking up Jayawardene (27), Brad Hodge (2) and Parthiv Patel (9) in back-to-back overs. The Sri Lankan was leg before, Hodge inside edged onto his stumps while Patel missed a defensive shot to be struck plumb in front. Kochi were then 65/4 in the 12th over.

Ravindr Jadeja hit some lusty blows on way to 29 off 18 deliveries before holing out to Pathan on the long-on boundary to give Lee his only success.

Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav (12) revived the innings with a 35-run partnership.