Indian Premier League: Kolkata thrash consistent Punjab

Gambhir smashes half century to guide team to nine-wicket win.

An unbeaten half-century by Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir sealed a thumping nine-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, so far the steadiest team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, at the Barbati Stadium, Cuttack.

Set a target of 150, Kolkata romped home with two overs to spare. Man-of-the-match Gambhir scored 63 off 45 balls, hitting seven fours in his innings. His opening partner Robin Uthappa chipped in with an entertaining 46 off 28 balls. The start provided by the pair was the perfect launching pad for the former champions. Manish Pandey, after Uthappa’s dismissal, batted with Gambhir till the end, contributing a run-a-ball 35.

Earlier in the day, the twin failure of the Punjab batting pillars Glenn Maxwell (14) and David Miller (13) halted the progress of the in-form team.

Virender Sehwag, who showed some glimpses of his younger days, smashed 11 fours in his 50-ball knock of 72 runs.  Wriddhiman Saha was the second best run-getter for Punjab, scoring a mere 15 as Sehwag fought single-handedly.

Piyush Chawla was the best bowler for the Knight Riders, taking three wickets for only 19 runs in his four-over spell. Morne Morkel was also in fine bowling form as the South African snared two wickets for only 20 runs in his four overs.

MCA objects to IPL final venue switch

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has recorded a strong protest against the decision of the IPL governing council to move the 2014 final from the Wankhede Stadium to the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, according to ESPNcricinfo.

A letter signed by MCA President Sharad Pawar has been sent to the IPL authorities, asking for the reasons behind the sudden decision of moving the final to Bangalore.

The decision whether to give an explanation to the MCA will be taken by IPL’s governing council in the next meeting.

In 2008, the inaugral season of the IPL, the opening ceremony was awarded to Bangalore — the second most expensive franchise, while the final was given to Mumbai – the most expensive franchise. Since then, the defending champions have been given the rights to host both the events.

The IPL governing council announced the change of venues on May 10 and claimed that the decision to hold the playoffs in four cities was due to the initial part of the tournament being hosted by the UAE this season.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2014.

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