Balaji destroys Bangalore in Kolkata’s first win in IPL

BANGALORE: Medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji’s destructive bowling and opener Gautam Gambhir’s aggressive batting steered Kolkata Knight Riders to their first victory in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

After being sent into bat by Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori, Kolkat made 165-8 in the allotted 20 overs.

Captain Gautam Gambhir top scored with a brilliant 64 from 39 balls, hitting nine fours and a six while Manvinder Bisla made 46 off 29 balls with three sixes and two fours.

However, no other batsman except Jacques Kallis (22) could get into double figures..

For Bangalore, Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan and Muttiah Muralitharan claimed two wickets each.

Later, Bangalore batsmen could not resist against Balagi’s accurate bowling as he captured four wickets for just 18 runs. Besides, Kallis and Shakib Al Hasan took two wickets each.

Main scorers for Bangalore were Vinay Kumar (25) and Vettori (20).

This match was telecast live by Geo Super, Pakistan’s premier sports TV channel.