Kolkata: Andre Russell claimed four wickets to help Kolkata Knight Riders down Kings XI Punjab by seven runs and go atop the table in their return to home in the Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament here today.
Half centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa gave Kolkata Knight Riders a perfect launch pad but Kings XI Punjab did well to restrict them to a modest 164/3.
Put in, the two-time former champions 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 Andre 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 width delivery to his stumps.
With 53/4 in 8.6 overs, the Kings were staring at their sixth loss this season but Maxwell held fort with his 42-ball 68 (6×4, 4×6) and kept 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 the Axar Patel (21 from seven balls) smacked Russell to two successive sixes as KXIP needed 22 runs from the last two overs but Russell ran out the lefthander to seal the issue.
Maxwell broke free against Hogg with a six over cover boundary in the 10th over where Miller got lucky after his faint edge behind the stumps was overlooked by the umpire.
In Hogg’s next over, Maxwell was even better smacking the veteran Aussie for a six followed by two boundaries to race to his second halfcentury from 29 balls.
Earlier, KKR skipper Gambhir continued his sublime form to notch up his fourth half-century 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.