Pune: A disciplined performance by the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers enabled them to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 155 for 9 in an Indian Premier League cricket match here on Saturday.
For the home team, skipper George Bailey played an useful hand with a 45-ball-60 while Glenn Maxwell (33) also showed some promise during his brief stay as KKR bowlers performed as a unit giving awya hardly anything.
Pacers Umesh Yadav (3/33), Morne Morkel (2/27) and Andre Russell (2/39) were impressive as they never let the KXIP batsmen dominate the bowling for a lengthy period of time.
Spinner Sunil Narine (1/17) was the most economical bowler for the defending champions.
Russell was also a livewire in the field as he took couple of well-judged catches.
The highlight of the KXIP innings was a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket between Bailey and Maxwell, who first time looked in some sort of touch. Bailey had five fours and two sixes in his innings.
Maxwell got a lease of life when Yusuf Pathan dropped a dolly at deep mid-wicket off Russell's bowling. It was the simplest of chances as Maxwell was on 13 and KXIP not out of woods at 51 for three.
But the Aussie couldn't capitalise on the miss although he showed glimpses of returning back to form during his 26-ball 33 that had two fours and two sixes.
He added 63 with skipper Bailey befire being holed out off Yadav's bowling as Russell took a lovely catch diving forward at sweeper boundary.
After being put into bat, Murali Vijay (0) failed to open his account as he was done in by extra bounce with Russell taking a smart catch running from mid-wicket.
Wriddhiman Saha (15) did hit a four and a six but didn't look comfortable against the extra bounce. After successfully connecting two pull shots, he failed while attempting a third pull off Morne Morkel as the thickish outside edge was taken by Pathan at first slip.
Virender Sehwag (11) hit a lovely square drive off Russell bisecting the two fielders at point and gully. But Russell got the revenge as he fired one towards his pads and the flick was snapped by Piyush Chawla at short square leg at reduce KXIP to 27 for three before Maxwell-Bailey duo resurrected the innings.
