Kolkata Knight Riders seal playoffs berth with five-wicket win over Sunrisers

Hyderabad - Rajasthan Royals (14), who registered a 30-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians (12) and Kings XI Punjab (12) are still in the fray for a final playoff spot

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) booked their place in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League with a five-wicket victory over table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a crunch game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.
The result means KKR remain third with 16 points from their full quota of 14 games.
Rajasthan Royals (14), who registered a 30-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians (12) and Kings XI Punjab (12) are still in the fray for a final playoff spot.
Sunrisers (18 points from 14 games), already assured of a knockout berth, succumbed to their third loss in a row.
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan cracked a fifty but Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs to restrict table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 172/9 in 20 overs.
Electing to bat, in-form Dhawan (50 from 39 balls; 5x4, 1x6), who missed out in SRH's last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), was dropped on 45 by Sunil Narine off Javon Searles.
Besides Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami (35; 26b; 4x4, 1x6), skipper Kane Williamson (36; 17b; 1x4, 3x6) and Manish Pandey (25; 22b; 2x4, 1x6) also contributed with the bat.
Sunrisers, who were 60/0 after six overs, lost wickets at regular intervals as little-known M.Prasidh Krishna (4/30) starred with the ball for the visitors taking three wickets in the last over while Andre Russell (1/31) gave away just seven in the penultimate over while also picking up a wicket.
Kuldeep Yadav (1/35), Sunil Narine (1/23) and Javon Searles (1/24) were all among wickets.
In the last 10 overs, Sunrisers could only manage 80, losing eight wickets after they were 92/1 at the halfway stage.
The hosts got off to a flying start with wicketkeeper-batsman Goswami (35; 26b; 4x4, 1x6) and Dhawan stitching together a 79-run stand for the opening wicket.
Goswami, playing his fourth game of the season but batting for the first time, was given out in the third over when a Russell bouncer rocketed off the helmet and was taken at slip.
Goswami asked for a review straightaway and replays and the decision was overturned.
In the next four balls, Goswami hit Russell for a six and a hattrick of boundaries taking 20 runs off the over.
In-form Kuldeep, who grabbed a career-best 4/20 in KKR's previous game, removed Goswami to break the partnership and halt Sunrisers' surge after they were 60/0 in the Powerplay.
Skipper Williamson then joined the party and looked to be continuing from where he had left in the last game by combining with Dhawan for a 48-run second wicket stand before trying to cut a Searles back of a length delivery and finding Russell at deep point.
It was an eventful over where Narine dropped Dhawan and Williamson tonked Searles for back-to-back sixes before getting out.
From there on, Pandey tried to score big but some disciplined death bowling by KKR bowlers put a lid on his plans. - Agencies
Sunrisers Hyderabad I
Dhawan lbw Krishna 50
Goswami c Russell b Yadav 35
Williamson c Russell b Scantlebury-Searles 36
Pandey c Singh b Krishna 25
Pathan c Uthappa b Narine 2
Brathwaite c Karthik b Russell 3
Al Hasan c Narine b Krishna 10
Rashid c Karthik b Krishna 0
Kumar run out 0
Kaul not out 0
Extras 11 (b 4, lb 1, nb 1, w 5)
Total (9 wickets, 20 overs) 172
Did not bat: Sandeep Sharma
Fall: 1-79, 2-127, 3-141, 4-147, 5-161, 6-168, 7-172, 8-172, 9-172
Bowling: Rana 1-0-5-0, Krishna 4-0-30-4, Russell 3-0-31-1, Narine 4-0-23-1, Chawla 2-0-19-0, Yadav 4-0-35-1, Scantlebury-Searles 2-0-24-1
Kolkata Knight Riders
Lynn c Pandey b Kaul 55
Narine c Pandey b Al Hasan 29
Uthappa c Goswami b Brathwaite 45
Karthik not out 26
Russell c Pandey b Kaul 4
Rana c Kumar b Brathwaite 7
Gill not out 0
Extras 7 (lb 2, w 5)
Total (5 wickets, 19.4 overs) 173
Yet to bat: PP Chawla, JPR Scantlebury-Searles, Kuldeep Yadav, M Prasidh Krishna
Fall: 1-52, 2-119, 3-149, 4-160, 5-172
Bowling: Kumar 4-0-33-0, Sharma 2-0-30-0, Kaul 4-0-26-2, Al Hasan 3-0-30-1, Rashid 4-0-31-0, Brathwaite 2.4-0-21-2.

• IPL 2019