KOLKATA, India (CMC) — West Indies opener Dwayne Smith contributed with the bat again as Gujarat Lions outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday.
Smith raced to 27 from 18 balls to kick off a methodical run chase in which Lions coasted to 164 for five in 18 overs, after KKR posted 158 for four from 20 overs at Eden Gardens.
The Barbadian batsman struck four fours and cleared the ropes once in a 42-run opening partnership with Brendon McCullum, who scored 29 from 24 balls.
The partnership ended when Smith was beaten in flight by Shakib Al Hasan and lost his stumps in the sixth over.
Smith, who bowled two overs for Lions, also picked up a wicket for 14 runs.
Dinesh Karthik top-scored with a busy 51 from 29 balls to seal Lions’ seventh win with five wickets in hand and 12 balls to spare.
Earlier, Knight Riders were reduced to 24 for 4 by the end of the powerplay as a result of impressive swing bowling by Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni, who exploited overcast skies.
However, KKR were lifted to 158 for four on the strength of a 134-run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan, who were undefeated on 66 and 63, respectively.
Lions have now climbed to the top of the IPL standings, following their win over KKR.
Despite his team’s defeat, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell celebrated a milestone by moving to the top of the table for the most wickets taken this season.
Russell had Suresh Raina caught at fine leg for 14, to finish with one wicket for 21 runs and taking his tally of scalps to 14.
