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Kolkata: Robin Uthappa's irrepressible form was extended into an eighth consecutive match as Kolkata Knight Riders became the third team to seal passage to the IPL play-offs, courtesy a 30-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Uthappa reeled off his fifth fifty of the season, and 8th straight 40+ scors in the process eclipsing Glenn Maxwell's tally of 533 runs to take the Orange Cap, and was matched by an attacking Shakib Al Hasan who scored a 38-ball 60 in KKR's 191 for 5.
RCB lost Chris Gayle early again and were always behind a rising asking rate, and once Sunil Narine struck twice in the 13th over the match was officially over as a contest. It was KKR's sixth win on the trot and they now have 16 points, same as Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.
Defeat has signalled the end of the road for RCB, leaving one of Rajasthan Royals (14), Sunrisers Hyderabad (10) and Mumbai Indians (10) to claim the fourth and final play-off spot open.
KKR had twice previously successfully defended scores in excess of 190 against RCB and Thursday became the hat-trick. Needing to chase at 9.85 per over before a ball was bowled, RCB weren't helped by another poor show from Gayle who was lbw to Umesh Yadav in the second over.
Takawale and Virat Kohli put on 85 in 10.3 overs with a mixture of sweetly-timed shots (Kohli) and hard-handed drags and swipes (Takawale) but neither really threatened to impose himself. With the required rate having crossed 12, a double-strike from Narine removed the two set batsmen.
Kohli failed to keep down a cut and was well held by Morne Morkel at backward point for 38 from 31 balls, and then Takawale chopped onto his stumps for 45 off 36. From 90 for 1 in 12 overs, RCB were 93 with the asking rate 14.71 and two new batsmen at the crease.
Hardly the situation anyone would want to walk out too in a must-win match, and Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers perished to Narine in the 17th over, giving the spinner excellent figures of 4 for 20. There was nothing left in RCB's tank.
KKR winning has become equated with runs from Uthappa's bat and this was another excellent innings from the in-form opener. He had to bide his time initially while shelving his eye-catching strokes after RCB nipped out Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey inside four overs and Yusuf Pathan ran himself out needlessly after clattering two quick sixes.
He crawled to 13 off 13 balls during the Powerplay and didn't hit a boundary until the eighth over, but that lofted drive off Yuzvendra Chahal gave Uthappa the confidence to play his shots. In the following seven balls faced he hit three fours and a six, moving into the forties for the eighth time in a row.
Uthappa found the required support from Shakib with whom he put on 121 in 70 balls. Shakib was strongest when hitting down the ground and didn't shy away from attacking RCB's spinners, especially Chahal who he clouted for three sixes and a four in the 15th over.
Shakib's first half-century in the IPL needed just 32 deliveries. Uthappa finished 83 not out off 51 balls, his best score of the season. RCB's three-pronged spin attack conceded 90 in eight overs.
Earlier, RCB have won the toss and opted to bowl first.
RCB have mada a couple of changes -- Ashok Dinda in for Varun Aaron, and Yogesh Takawale in for Parthiv Patel.
For KKR, Morne Morkel in for Pat Cummins, and Vinay Kumar in for Piyush Chawla.
Teams:
Kolkata: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Robin Uthappa (wk), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Suryakumar Yadav, Morne Morkel, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar
Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (Capt.), Yogesh Takawale (wk), AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Rana, Mitchell Starc, Abu Nechim, Yuzvendra Chahal, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ashok Dinda
Brief scores
Kolkata - 195/4 (Uthappa 83*, Shakib Al Hasan 60)
Bangalore - 165/5 (Takawale 45, Kohli 38, Narine 4-20)
Result - Kolkata Knight Riders won by 30 runs
Points - Kolkata Knight Riders 2, Royal Challengers Bangalore 0
