IPL Photos: Uthappa, Narine sizzle as Kolkata make play-offs

Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine led the way as Kolkata Knight Riders turned in a clinical performance to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 30 runs and seal a place in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.

Put in to bat, the home side, led by Uthappa’s unbeaten 51-ball 83 and Shakib Al-Hasan's 60, amassed a massive 195 for four. In reply, Bangalore, failed to recover from the early dismissal of Chris Gayle, and were restricted to 165-5 as Narine finished with four wickets, including Yogesh Takawale, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers, for 20 runs from his four overs.

Kolkata registered their eighth victory from 13 games and become the third team to advance after Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.

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Earlier, Uthappa's fifth half-century this season swelled his run aggregate to 572 runs and earned him the Orange Cap from Glen Maxwell (533 runs), who was on top of the run-scorers’ list since the seventh season commenced in Abu Dhabi on April 16.

- Scorecard

Interestingly, Uthappa has not scored less than 40 runs after being promoted at the top of the order when Kolkata’s India leg began at Ranchi.

His tally in the eight matches is now 475.

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The in-form opener played the full quota of 20 overs and slammed 10 fours and a six during his undefeated knock.

He and Shakib Al-Hasan rallied Kolkata after they were reduced to 56 for three in the seventh over at the sun-bathed Eden Gardens.

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The duo put together 121 runs from 70 balls for the fourth wicket.

Shakib was more aggressive of the two while scoring his 60 (5x4, 3x6) off 38 balls, his second fifty of the season.

He smashed rookie leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for three sixes and a boundary as Kolkata took 24 runs in an over.

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Uthappa and Shakib exposed RCB's bowling frailties. Local man Ashok Dinda was wayward, while the spin attack in Muttiah Muralitharan, Chahal and Yuvraj Singh could not make any inroads.

Kolkata had a poor start as skipper Gautam Gambhir (4) was dismissed off the fifth delivery of the innings, edging one behind to wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale.

At the other end Dinda, who replaced Varun Aaron, provided the second breakthrough, dismissing Manish Pandey (13) cheaply.

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After Umesh Yadav provided the breakthrough in the form of Chris Gayle (6), who was out to a dubious lbw decision, Yogesh Takawale and Virat Kohli kept Bangalore in the hunt in their must-win match with an 85-run partnership before Narine struck twice in his third over, scalping both the dangermen.

He then returned in his fourth over and dismissed Yuvraj Singh (22) and AB de Villiers (13) to turn the match around.

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When Kohli was dismissed for 38 off 31 balls off the third delivery of the 13th over, Bangalore were still in the hunt at 92 for 2, but the dismissal of Yogesh Takawale to the last ball of the same over virtually dashed whatever hopes they may have entertained of chasing down the imposing total.

Yuvraj Singh hit two sixes and a four in his 12-ball 22 before becoming Narine’s third victim.

And when AB de Villiers was bowled by the West Indies spinner at 133 for 5 in the 17th over it was all over for the Bangalore side.