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Kolkata: Manvinder Bisla was unbeaten on a well compiled 51 and coupled with a cameo from Eoin Morgan took Kolkata to a comfortable 6 wicket victory over Punjab.
Azhar Mahmood jolted Kolkata at the start when he sent back Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan cheaply. However, Jacques Kallis and Manvinder Bisla strung together a partnership that slowly got Kolkata back on track.
Harmeet Singh sent back Kallis but Morgan finished off the contest with some lusty blows. Bisla came back to form and notched up his third fifty in the Indian T20 League as Kolkata snapped their three match losing strea at home.
Kallis and Manvinder Bisla consolidated Kolkata innings and guided the side past 50 in 6.2 overs.
Azhar Mahmood gave Punjab a dream start by dismissing Kolkata openers Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan in consecutive deliveries of the second over after visitors posted 149/6.
While Gambhir (8) was bowled out, Pathan (0) was caught behind by Gilchrist.
A solid opening wicket stand and decent contribution from the middle order helped Kings XI Punjab set a challenging 150 for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Manan Vohra (31, 21 balls) top scored for the Kings, as almost everybody in the line-up -- Adam Gilchrist (27), Mandeep Singh (25), David Hussey (21) made small contributions.
However, it was Gurkeerat Singh's 15-ball unbeaten 28 studded with two boundaries and an equal number of sixes that took them to a fighting total.
On a day, when the Knight Riders spin ploy did not work, Jacques Kallis (4-0-14-2) with two crucial wickets of Mandeep and Hussey ensured that the home side had their moments and did not let the Kings off the hook.
It was one of the rare day when Purple Cap holder Sunil Narine went wicketless (4-0-22-0), while Sachithra Senanayake and leg-spinner Sarabjit Ladda conceded 47 runs from six overs together.
Balaji (one for 44) conceded 18 runs in the last over with two sixes and one four, bearing the brunt of Gurkeerat Singh (28 not out from 15 balls; 2x4, 2x6) that took Kings to a competitive total.
Put in to bat, Kings XI made a slow but sensible start as Gilchrist took time to settle down while talented Mandeep scored briskly with some elegant shots.
Lucky to survive a runout at the non-striking end, Gilchrist played Senanayake watchfully as the KKR off-spinner began with a maiden.
Mandeep however played freely hitting Balaji for two boundaries before charging out to Narine for the same effect to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Gilchrist soon got into the act when he took on Senanayake resulting in 12 runs as they were 45 for no loss at the end of Powerplay.
It was then smart captaincy from Gambhir, who brought in Kallis immediately after six overs, which helped in breaking the partnership.
Kallis, who had an injury scare in the previous match after twisting his knee, struck in his very first ball dismissing the inform Mandeep.
Just when a set-looking Gilchrist looked to break free by hitting Bhatia over midwicket, the Knight Riders had another breakthrough.
In what turned out to be a soft dismissal, Gilchrist who in his prime time would have cleared the park with his pull found Morgan's safe hands to continue his miserable outing.
But to the Kings' delight, there was no panic in the middle. Vohra played a fine cameo with one six and three fours before being dismissed by Balaji as the Kings XI maintained a seven-plus scoring rate.
Earlier, Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to bat.
Kolkata have brought in a leg-spinner in place of Iqbal Abdulla. Azhar Mahmood staged a come back in Punjab squad in place of Pomersbach, while Gurkeerat Singh replaced Parvinder Awana.
Teams
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, MS Bisla, Eoin Morgan, DB Das (wk), Rajat Bhatia, SMSM Senanayake, Sunil Narine, S Ladda, L Balaji
Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist (captain & wk), Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Bhargav Bhatt
Brief scores
Kings XI Punjab 149/6 (Vohra 31)
Kolkata Knight Riders 150/4 (Bisla 51*, Morgan 42, Kallis 37, Mahmood 3-35)
Result Kolkata Knight Riders won by 6 wickets
Points Kolkata Knight Riders 2, Kings XI Punjab 0
MOM Jacques Kallis (Kolkata Knight Riders)
