T20 2018: Kolkata beat Chennai by 6 wickets

Kolkata's captain Dinesh Karthik plays a shot against Chennai during T20 2018 cricket match at Eden Garden in Kolkata. PTI

Top-order batsman Shubman Gill cracked an unbeaten 36-ball 57 while skipper Dinesh Karthik bludgeoned a 18-ball 45 not out to guide Kolkata to a six-wicket win over Chennai in an T20 2018 clash at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

Chasing 178 for victory, Gill, an U-19 World Cup winner, joined hands with Karthik for an unbroken 83-run fifth wicket partnership off 36 deliveries that took the game away from M.S. Dhoni's team despite their making early inroads. This was Gill's maiden T20.

Put in to bat, Chennai rode Dhoni's unbeaten 25-ball 43 to post 177/5 in 20 overs. In reply, Kolkata finished on 180/4 with 14 balls to spare to register second win on the bounce and fifth overall in the tournament so far.

Kolkata moved to third spot having 10 points from 9 games while Hyderabad pipped Chennai to the top of the table. Pushed up the order, Gill's innings was laced with six fours and two sixes as Karthik ably supported him hitting seven fours and a six. Kolkata lost Chris Lynn (12) early with young South African seamer pacer Lungi Ngidi (1/36) picking up his wicket in the first over.

Sunil Narine (32; 20b 4x4 2x6) made the most of two reprieves in consecutive deliveries in the second over, when Ravindra Jadeja dropped him at wide mid on off K.M. Asif when he was on 6. Robin Uthappa (6) did not last long, top-edging a mistimed pull to Dwayne Bravo at midwicket off Asif. Narine, who set the platform for Kolkata's chase, holed out to Bravo in the deep off Jadeja.

Despite the early blows, Kolkata kept pace with the target, racing to 90/3 at the halfway stage, the same as Chennai albeit losing two more wickets. Rinku Singh (16) failed too before Gill and Karthik took the game by the scruff of the neck, taking Asif for 21 runs in the 15th over which proved to be the game-changer.

Earlier, Dhoni continued his good form with the bat and made the most of Gill dropping him on 29. The 36-year old hit four sixes and one four, stitching together a 54-run stand for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (12).

Openers Faf du Plessis (27; 15b 4x4 1x6), Shane Watson (36; 25b 4x4 2x6) and Raina (31; 26b 4x4 0x6) also contributed with the bat for the visitors but Shivam Mavi (0/21) and Piyush Chawla (2/35) bowled well for the hosts besides Narine. Narine was the pick of the bowlers for Kolkata, returning figures of 2/20 in four overs.

The atmosphere was electric inside the stadium as well as outside, with much of the fanfare around the Chennai side and their iconic skipper Dhoni. A sea of yellow engulfed parts of the Eden as every boundary was cheered vociferously, giving a feeling of it being an away match for Kolkata.

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