KKR spinners strangle Royals batsmen on a turner

Sunil Narine

Kolkata Knight Riders used the comfort of their home territory to register only their fourth win in the competition, effortlessly beating Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets. Both teams had stuffed their teams with spinners as though it was a fifth day Kanpur pitch, but it was Knight Riders’ spinners who strangled Royals’ batsmen before Yusuf Pathan and Jacques Kallis pushed the team over the line with 16 balls to spare.

The victory has kept Knight Riders’ chances of making it to the playoffs alive, but the task ahead remains extremely difficult; five wins in five matches required from here. Royals, on the other hand, maintained their hold on the third spot on the points table.

At the mid-innings break, Sanju Samson, the top scorer for Royals, had said that he was confident the 132-run