Pune, May 23
Jacques Kallis and Sunil Narine shared four wickets to bowl Kolkata Knight Riders into the Indian Premier League final with a comfortable 18-run victory over Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.
South African paceman Kallis and West Indies spinner Narine each finished with 2-24 as Kolkata restricted Delhi to 144-8 in their 20 overs after posting 162-4 on a slow pitch in Pune.
Delhi lost hard-hitting openers Virender Sehwag (10) and David Warner (seven) with 24 runs on the board before Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene and Naman Ojha (28) steadied the innings with a 59-run stand for the third wicket.
They suffered a big blow in the 15th over when Jayawardene was stumped off left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla after hitting six fours in his 33-ball 40. Delhi needed 46 runs to win in the last four overs with six wickets in hand, but faltered against Kallis and Narine.
Kolkata earlier plundered 56 runs in their last four overs to post a competitive total, with Yusuf Pathan cracking two sixes and three fours in a 21-ball 40 not out and Laxmi Shukla making an unbeaten 24.
Kolkata made a good start after electing to bat when skipper Gautam Gambhir (32) and New Zealander Brendon McCullum (31) added 48 runs for the opening wicket off 5.5 overs.
Gambhir, who pulled pacemen Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron for sixes, also hit three fours in his brisk 16-ball knock before he was run out, while McCullum fell soon after smashing left-arm spinner Pawan Negi for a six.
Kallis contributed a 33-ball 30 before being caught in the deep by New Zealander Ross Taylor off Yadav.
Delhi will now meet the winner of Wednesday’s match between Mumbai Indians and defending champions Chennai Super Kings on Friday. The final will be played in Chennai on Sunday.
