IPL 2013: Gambhir, Kallis hail Bisla after 6-wicket win over Punjab

Chasing 150 was never going to be easy but an under-pressure Kolkata rode on Manvinder Bisla's composed half-century to claim a six-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens on Friday.

Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir showed a lot of emotion during the game, and was a relieved man at the post-match presentation ceremony. "It was a fantastic effort by our bowlers to restrict them to 149 for six," he said.

"We lost a few wickets in our chase, but Bisla, Jacques and Eoin Morgan performed exceptionally well to guide us to victory," added Gambhir. "This is a good win for us as results haven't gone our way recently. We have to take this performance in to the next match," he added.

Jacques Kallis was awarded the Man of the Match for an all-round performance of 2 for 14 with the ball and 37 with the bat. "Luck hasn't gone our way this year and we still have a lot of work to do to climb up the table."

"Manvinder Bisla was excellent though," added Kallis. "We lost a few early wickets and he really took the attack to the bowlers and won this game for us."

Eoin Morgan scored a crucial 42 and was involved in a 72-run stand with Bisla for the 4th wicket. "Despite losing a few early wickets we were positive during the chase," said Morgan after the match.

Early in his innings a Piyush Chawla delivery kissed the leg stump of Morgan but the bails did not dislodge. "Oh yeah, I had a bit of luck during my innings but everybody needs that piece of luck. Bisla was fantastic in his half-century and he ultimately took us over the line," Morgan added.

Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist thought his side had put up a 'really competitive' total but fell short with their bowling. "We were good, but all credit to Kolkata who were better," said Gilchrist after the defeat.