KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders survived a late charge by Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsmen to win by one run in an IPL thriller after Virat Kohli’s angry outburst at his dismissal on Sunday.
Bengaluru conceded 222-6 after electing to field first at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens with Phil Salt smashing 48 off 14 balls and skipper Shreyas Iyer hitting 50.
Needing 21 to win in the final over bowled by Mitchell Starc, Bengaluru’s number 10 Karn Sharma hit the Australian left-arm quick for three sixes before being caught and bowled.
Wicketkeeper Salt then ran out Lockie Ferguson on the last ball despite a wide throw by the fielder as Bengaluru were bowled out for 221.
Bengaluru slipped early in their chase when Kohli, who made a seven-ball 18, fell caught and bowled off Harshit Rana.
But the former India captain looked confident the high full-toss was above his waist as the umpires checked for a no-ball.
TV umpire Michael Gough declared it out after technology suggested the trajectory of the ball dipped below the waist of the batsman, who returned furious after exchanging words with the on-field officials.
“It was crazy. Rules are rules, Virat and myself in that space thought the ball was higher than his waist,” skipper Faf du Plessis, who was with Kohli at the other end when the drama unfolded, said.
“You always find one team happy and the other not so with such decisions.”
The drama did not help Bengaluru in their chase as the bottom-placed side in the 10-team table slumped to their seventh loss in eight matches.
Earlier Kolkata, who jumped to second in the table with their fifth win in seven matches, started strongly with Salt’s explosive knock.
Fast bowlers Yash Dayal and Cameron Green took two wickets each to dent Kolkata’s top and middle-order but Iyer kept calm to raise his fifty in 35 balls. He fell after a 40-run stand with Rinku Singh, who hit 24.
Andre Russell, who made 27 off 10 balls, and Ramandeep Singh, who hit 24 off nine, finished with a flourish in an unbeaten stand of 43.
Russell, who was named man of the match, then turned up with his pace bowling as he took three wickets and fellow West Indian Sunil Narine took two to dent the chase.
England batsman Will Jacks, who made 55, and Rajat Patidar, who hit 52, attempted to set up the chase in a 102-run third-wicket stand, which was broken by Russell.
Russell took down both the batsmen in one over and mystery spinner Narine came up with another double blow in one over including Green and Mahipal Lomror.
Dinesh Karthik with his 18-ball 25 and Sharma with 20 off seven balls tried their best to chase down the target but Kolkata held their nerve.
“We go through so many emotions, tough to stay calm,” said Iyer. “Elated to get these two points. I feel that every individual should take responsibility to deliver. Russell came on and completely changed the momentum.”
In the second match of the day, Gujarat Titans defeated Punjab Kings by three wickets after they bowled out the opposition for 142 in a low-scoring game.
Indian Sai Kishore returned figures of 4-33 and ably supported by fellow spinners Noor Ahmad, who claimed 2-20, and Rashid Khan, who had 1-15.
Gujarat looked in trouble at 103-5, but Rahul Tewatia steered the team home with five balls to spare as the left-handed batsman hit an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field against New Zealand on Saturday in the second Twenty20 of their five-match series.
The first game was rained out Thursday after only two balls could be bowled. Shaheen Shah Afridi had clean-bowled debutant Tim Robinson for a duck and New Zealand was 2-1 before rain denied further play.
Pakistan retained the same playing XI from the washout that included three debutants — Usman Khan, Irfan Khan and Abrar Ahmed. Fast bowler Mohammad Amir returns to action in his hometown after he came out of retirement for this June’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan was ruled out of the series because of a slightly torn calf muscle that needs 10 days to heal.
New Zealand made one change and brought in all-rounder Cole McConchie in place of Josh Clarkson, who was ill and didn’t travel to the stadium with the team.
Both sides are using the series to prepare for the T20 World Cup.
Michael Bracewell is leading the Black Caps, who are without nine key players competing in the Indian Premier League. The squad was further depleted just before the tour when Finn Allen and Adam Milne were injured in training.
Rawalpindi will also host the third game on Sunday before the series moves to Lahore for the last two games next week.

Lineups:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert, Dean Foxcroft, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell (captain), Cole McConchie, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, Ben Lister.