Sat, 30 Apr 2011 - IP Kolkata vs IP Punjab, IPL 2011, 37th Match - Bulletin

Clinical Kolkata storm to top

Kolkata displayed yet another clinical performance in all three departments of the game to beat Punjab by eight wickets at Eden Gardens. The win that takes them to the top of IPL standings was a convincing one as home team outclassed Punjab in all three departments of the game.

After Kolkata spinners well complemented by the fielders restricted Punjab to under par 119 on a turning track, Kolkata coasted the target with skipper Gautam Gambhir leading the way by scoring a more than run a ball undefeated 45.

Punjab had an early joy when rookie left arm spinner Raghav Bhat had Jacques Kallis caught at covers on five off a ball that stopped on the surface. Eoin Morgan opening the innings neutralized Kallis’s wicket by stroking the ball with an ease that was missing in Punjab’s innings as England left hander creamed 28 off 15 balls including half a dozen boundaries. His brisk innings made Kolkata’s job easier as required run rate dropped and batsmen needed not take risk with ball gripping on the surface.

Bhat continued to impress when Morgan was superbly caught in the deep by Ryan Harris to give some hope to visitors but Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary had other ideas. The pair put on 85 runs for the third wicket to complete the terrific evening for Kolkata.

Gambhir and Tiwary didn’t do anything silly to end all chances of a Punjab doing any miracle with the ball. Skipper’s inning laced with four boundaries was content with dabbing and nudging the ball into the gaps while Manoj whose IPL career is on a rise hit only six of the innings in his 41-ball stay for crucial 34.

Barring Bhat there wasn’t much from Punjab but game was lost during their listless batting effort resulting in a low total.

Adam Gilchrist got Punjab off to a decent start reaching 27 after four overs. Then came the stifling slow bowling from Iqbal Abdullah and Irfan Pathan, whose combined figures of 43 runs in eight overs made all the difference. Yusuf provided the first breakthrough when big-hitting Paul Valthaty tried to clear the ropes but only managed to hole out to long-on.

Though Kolkata bowled in the right areas extracting some assistance from the pitch but Punjab’s shoddy running between the wickets cost them dearly as three batsmen were caught short of the ground. First Shaun Marsh watched the ball rather than his partner and thus had to sacrifice his wicket for his captain.

Gilly however couldn’t make Marsh’s sacrifice count as an Iqbal Abdullah slider somehow sneaked through Gilchrist’s legs to disturb the timber. After his dismissal, the Punjab innings never got going with the run rate rarely breaching the 6 mark. Punjab could have finished with fewer runs if Dinesh Karthik and David Hussey hadn’t stitched together a 33-run partnership.

Karthik scored a noteworthy 42 at run a ball and Hussey fell to the impressive Abdullah, although the LBW decision was a bit dodgy. Even though, the Eden gardens surface was bowler friendly a target of 120 against an in-form Kolkata batting was never going to be enough.