Redbacks Clinch Easy Win Against Kolkata

Hyderabad: Redbacks are considered one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia. On Tuesday night, the Kolkata Knight Riders felt their sting as the South Australian Redbacks inflicted a painful 19-run loss in their Group B Champions League Twenty20 match.

With both teams desperate for a win, aggression was the key. Michael Klinger won the toss and promptly chose to set a target. For the first 14 overs, it looked as if the Redbacks wouldn't be able to reach their goal of a total which could put the Knight Riders under pressure.

They managed only 94 but the equation changed when the Redbacks plundered 94 in the final six to reach 188 for five.

Callum Ferguson, who was dropped by Jacques Kallis on 18, smashed an unconquered 70 off 40 balls with five fours and four sixes and Daniel Christian plundered 42 (27b; 4x4, 2x6) as the duo added 84 for the fifth wicket off 44 balls.

Chasing 189 was never going to be easy even for the strong Knight Riders' batting. An explosive start was needed and though Manvinder Bisla (13; 11b, 3x4) smashed off-spinner Nathan Lyon for three fours in the first over, he was castled by medium-pacer Kane Richardson to put the home side on the back foot.

Shakib Al Hasan too tried to chance his arm but was unsuccessful. Skipper Gautam Gambhir (9; 9b, 2x4) and Yusuf Pathan (5; 8b) departed without much ado as the Knight Riders lost steam.

The one area where the Redbacks completely outplayed the Knight Riders was in fielding. While the hosts displayed their largesse by dropping a couple of catches, Klinger, Daniel Harries and Aaron O'Brien did not repay that generosity as they pulled off sensational catches to douse KKR's hopes.

Manoj Tiwary (40; 31b, 2x4, 2x6), Ryan ten Doeschate (32; 16b, 3x4, 2x6) and Rajat Bhatia (21; 13b, 1x4, 2x6) were unable to prevent the inevitable but helped reduce the margin of loss as the Knight Riders ended up with 169 for nine.

Brief scores
South Australia 188 for 5 (Ferguson 88*, Christian 42, Balaji 2-27)
Kolkata Knight Riders 169 for 9 (Tiwary 40, Putland 3-31, Harris 3-42)
Results South Australia won by 19 runs
Points South Australia 2, Kolkata Knight Riders 0
MOM Callum Ferguson (South Australia)

Scores	Upcoming	Results
Australia vs India - 4th Test South Africa vs Pakistan - 1st Test Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan - 1st Test 1st T20I - New Zealand v Sri Lanka - December 28, 06:15 GMT 2nd T20I - New Zealand v Sri Lanka - December 30, 06:15 GMT 3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method) 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining)

Related links

Champions League Twenty20 2011 News

Mumbai Indians Wins Champions League 2011 [+]

Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai Indians thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs to win the third edition of Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

CLT20 Final - It's Gayle vs Malinga, Kohli vs Harbhajan [+]

Royal Challengers Bangalore, whose success revolves around Gayle, Kohli and Dilshan, are the overwhelming favourites against Mumbai Indians in the CLT20 final.

Malinga, Franklin Bowls Mumbai Into CLT20 Final [+]

Mummai Indian beat Somerset in the second semi-final of the Champions League. They've made the final an all-IPL affair, as Royal Challengers Bangalore had qualified yesterday.

Mumbai Gear up For Somerset Challenge, Pollard Fit for Semi-final [+]

Mumbai Indians will bank on their familiarity with the conditions to fight through another tough challenge when they take on Somerset in the CLT20 semifinal.

RCB Crush NSW, Reached into CLT20 Final [+]

Chris Gayle (92) and Virat Kohli (84*) played stupendous knocks to take Royal Challengers Bangalore into the Champions League Twenty20 final.

Indian Challengers Take on Aussies Blues [+]

Just who will reap the rich harvest for the all the hard labour put in, will be unravelled when Bangalore take on New South Wales in the first semifinal of CLT20.

Dilshan, Kohli Power RCB Into Semis [+]

Tillakaratne Dilshan (74) and Virat Kohli (70) guided Royal Challengers to clinch a stunning two wickets victory over South Australia in their CLT20 match.

Somerset Through to Semifinals Beat Warriors [+]

English county Somerset entered the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20 with a 12-run win over Warriors of South Africa at the Chinnaswamy stadium here Wednesday.

Fights for Semifinal Spot Between RCB and Redbacks [+]

A buoyant Royal Challengers will cross swords with South Australia Redbacks as the race for the semifinal spots in the Champions League T20 intensifies.

Warriors and Somerset Clash with Semifinal Berth at Stake [+]

With a semifinal spot at stake, South Africa's Warriors and England's Somerset will clash in a make-or-break Champions League Twenty20 match in Bangalore.