IPL Qualifier: Kolkata Beat Punjab to Reach 2nd Final in 3 Years

Umesh Yadav's 3/13 after Robin Uthappa's 30-ball 42 helped Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by 28 runs to reach their 2nd IPL final in 3 years (All images BCCI).

Robin Uthappa's splendid form with the bat continued as he notched up his 10th consecutive 40-plus score to lay the platform for KKR.

On the day when he was handed a Test comeback for the upcoming England series, Gambhir failed with bat and was dismissed in the second over.

Despite Gambhir's early dismissal, Uthappa kept Kolkata steady with his 30-ball knock of 42.

Kings XI Punjab's Akshar Patel got the big wicket of Uthappa and also dismissed Manish Pandey to finish with splendid figures of 2/11 in 4 overs.

Karanveer Singh was the pick of the Punjab bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/40 in 4 overs.

Rain halted Kings XI Punjab's chase of 164, bringing up calculations of Duckworth-Lewis method.

Despite Wriddhiman Saha's fighting 35, constant wickets derailed Punjab's chase. Piyush Chawla (1/23) and Morne Morkel (2/23) were the pick of the bowlers for Kolkata.

In the end, Kings XI Punjab fell short of the Kolkata Knight Riders' target by 28 runs.