Kolkata edge past Auckland by 2 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders out-recovered Champions League debutants Auckland Aces to successfully defend 121 in the sides' first qualifier. Kolkata ran away with 72 for 0 in the first nine overs before the tenacious Auckland side pulled the game back with just 49 runs in the remaining 11. Lou Vincent then scored 30 of his 40 runs in boundaries, even threatening a huge net run-rate advantage, but his run-out was followed by Yusuf Pathan's two in three. The squeeze by the slower bowlers, who went for 66 in their 14 overs, left Auckland 22 to get off the last two. Andre Adams hit Jacques Kallis for a straight six to get 11 off the 19th, but Brett Lee's yorkers proved too good for him and Kyle Mills.

Scorecard

The game was full of turnarounds. The first one came after Manvinver Bisla and Kallis got Kolkata's campaign off to a smashing start. The inside-out shot over extra cover was a favourite for both, and Bisla was especially harsh on Chris Martin who bowled Test lengths to begin with. Bisla found them easy to pull and drive on the up. The left-arm seamer Michael Bates brought some control with his angle and extra bounce, and in his second over he produced a leading edge from Bisla.

Left-arm spinner Ronnie Hira and Martin then choked the runs a bit, and Kolkata started playing imprudent shots. Kallis would later say they had over-aimed. Yusuf was the first to show frustration, slogging all around a straight Adams delivery. Kallis fell next when he followed a spell of 10 balls for eight runs with a drop-kick straight to deep midwicket. Two balls later, Manoj Tiwary slogged too, and the stumps lay splayed again. A couple of run-outs followed, and Kolkata never managed a final charge. Bates finished all his four overs for fewer than six runs.

The run-out virus carried forward into the chase as Martin Guptill ran himself out without even facing a delivery. The decisive one, though, was yet to come. Before that, Vincent drove, cut and pulled with aplomb to take Auckland to 48 in six, bringing the asking-rate down to 5.28. Rajat Bhatia, now famous in Indian domestic T20 for his slow rolling legcutters, and Yusuf bowled the next three overs for 12. The last ball of those three featured impatience from Vincent, who charged off after hitting straight to cover, and couldn't make it back from eight yards.

The next two balls, from Yusuf, were full, on the pads, hardly turning, but Jimmy Adams and Rob Quiney somehow managed two front edges. Another left-hand batsman, Colin Munro, then scratched around for 20 off 29 before leaving Auckland an improbable task in the last two.

The pitch was slow, the bowlers were steady, but neither of them or the combination thereof was unplayable. Somehow, though, faced by accurate bowling and alert fielding, Auckland allowed themselves to be pushed into a corner until the required rate reached 11 for the last two. Kallis then bowled his first over, removing Munro first ball and watching the second sail over the straight boundary. Mills and Adams ran hard, but Lee produced a good last over to give Kolkata a crucial win on a day they didn't play exceptional cricket.