Pacer Justin Kemp took three wickets for 12 as Chennai Super Kings capitalised on some pathetic batting display by Kolkata Knight Riders to score a 55-run victory in the Indian Premier League in Kolkata on Tuesday .
Kemp bowled a tight line and length in his three overs and he was ably supported by his pace colleague Lakshmipathy Balaji who took two wickets by conceding just nine runs from his 2.2 overs as CSK shot out the home team for just 109 in 19.2 overs in chase of 165.
Ealier, electing to bat, CSK rode on a late blitzkrieg by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plundered an unbeaten 66 from 33 balls, and Subramaniam Badrinath (43 not out off 33 balls) to post 164 for three after a slow start.
Chasing a challenging total, the Kolkata batsmen competed in gifting away wickets as their top half were back in the pavillion by the ninth over at team score of 55.
None of the KKR top order batsmen made any significant contribution with Wriddhiman Saha top-scoring with a 13-ball 22. Spinner Murali Kartik was the next highest scorer with 21. Laxmi Ratan Shukla contributed 19 while captain Sourav Ganguly made 11. With today's loss, KKR's two-game winning streak was snapped.
The Kolkata outfit made a disastrous start in their run chase with opener Brad Hodge falling for a duck in the second ball of the innings with R Ashwin taking a fine catch after the Australian tried to pull an Albie Morkel short ball.
Seven balls later, last match half centurion Manoj Tiwary perished to a Mapreet Gony incoming delivery and the KKR batsman found his middle stump cartwheeling for eight.
Wriddhiman Saha looked good in his brief innings of 22 from 13 balls studded with five fours. Having hit Balaji for a four, Saha's inexperience was exposed when the former India pacer gate-crashed his defence to uproot the middle stump.
Owais Shah (5) followed suit and captain Ganguly (11) too joined him in the pavillion as the former India skipper was caught at the mid-on off Kemp. KKR were 55 for five then and never recovered from there.
KKR found the going tough at their home ground with wickets continued to fall as Balaji and Kemp were on a roll.
Kemp got his second scalp in the form of Angelo Mathews (6) and followed it up with that of Rohan Gavaskar (2) as KKR almost gave up the fight.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla (19) and Shane Bond (1) departed in consecutive overs as KKR were 84 for nine in 14.1 over and an eerie silence engulfed the packed Eden Gardens.
Kartik briefly put up resistance with a 20-ball 21 before he was the last man out.
Earlier, Dhoni and Badrinath amassed 109 runs in 65 balls in their unbroken fourth wicket. Dhoni hit six fours and three sixes in his explosive knock while Badrinath hit three fours and a six as KKR conceded 58 runs in the last five overs.
The Knight Riders had a disciplined start with their new recruit Shane Bond bowling a tidy fast bowling spell with the new ball as he began his IPL stint conceding just one run from his first over. PTI
