Karthik Blitz Keeps Punjab in Plays-off Race

Indore: Dinesh Karthik's 33-ball 69 and Shaun Marsh's 30-ball 42 enabled Kings XI Punjab to defeat Kochi Tuskers Kerala by six wickets in their IPL match in Indore.

Kings skipper Adam Gilchrist made just 9 off 15 balls but his side overcame the initial hiccups to keep themselves in the hunt at the packed Holkar Stadium here on Friday.

The fifth victory in their 11th match helped Kings XI Punjab stay afloat in the competition as they took their points tally to 10. It is still a long way to go for them but back-to-back wins must have raised their hopes of reaching the play-offs.

Chasing a challenging target of 179, Kings XI were in a spot of bother as they lost their star opening pair – Gilchrist and Paul Valthaty – with just 31 on the board.

However, Karthick turned the match on its head with a swashbuckling 69 off just 33 balls. Overlooked for the West Indies tour, he took the Kochi attack to the cleaners to score a point or two.

Karthick's 111-run stand for the third wicket with Shaun Marsh (42; 30b) at a breathtaking speed shattered Kochi's hopes. The fall of Karthick and Marsh in succession raised hopes for Kochi but by then the damage was already done.

David Hussey (21; 15b) and Mandeep (15; 10b) completed the formalities with seven balls to spare. RP Singh's efforts went in vain. The left-arm paceman captured all the four wickets to fall but lacked support from his fellow bowlers.

S Sreesanth was the major culprit as he not only bowled badly but was also pathetic in the field and dropped a crucial catch on the boundary.

Earlier, put in to bat, Kochi wasted a flying start to post 178-7 despite a 52-ball 76 by Jayawardene. At one stage, they were heading for a 200-plus total.

Brief scores
Kochi Tuskers Kerala 178 for 7 (Jayawardene 76, Bipul Sharma 2-32)
Kings XI Punjab 181 for 4 (Dinesh Karthik 69, S Marsh 42, RP Singh 4-25)
Results Kings XI Punjab won by six wickets
MOM Dinesh Karthik (Kings XI Punjab)
Points Kings XI Punjab 2, Kochi Tuskers Kerala 0