Gayle fails and Knights Riders slump to defeat

DELHI, India, CMC – Chris Gayle failed to make a big impact, and the Kolkata Knight Riders slipped to their second defeat in the Indian Premier League, when the Delhi Daredevils trumped them by 40 runs yesterday.

The West Indies captain struck two fours and two sixes in 30 from 21 balls, as the Knight Riders, chasing 178 for victory from their allocation of 20 overs, were restricted to 137 for nine at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

This followed an innings of 107 from 69 balls that included nine fours and five sixes from left-handed Australian opener David Warner which propelled the Daredevils to 177 for four in their 20 overs.

Three wickets – including former India captain Sourav Ganguly, the Knight Riders’ captain – in the space of 10 balls left the visitors tottering on 21 for three in the fifth over.

Gayle was fortunate on 26, when Indian batting star Virender Sehwag muffed a skier at mid-wicket off leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

But the left-handed opener from Jamaica failed to make the most of the chance, and was caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary off Rajat Bhatia to leave the Knight Riders needing 127 from the remaining 71 balls.

Earlier, the Daredevils too, ran into trouble on 38 for three in the third over, but Warner revived their chances in a fourth-wicket stand of 128 with England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, whose 53 from 45 balls contained three fours and two sixes.

The Daredevils are fourth on the eight-team ladder with eight points, and the Knight Riders sixth with six points.

The competition continues today when Mumbai Indians, whose roster includes the West Indies pair of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, host the King’s Punjab XI at the Brabourne Stadium.