THE Knight Riders who looked out of sorts in the tournament so far, signed off with a solitary win.

Kolkata were good with both bat and ball as their pacemen never allowed the Titans’ batsmen to chase a daunting 189-run target. A win here would have ensured a smooth entry into the semi-finals for the home team.
However, the African side were never in the hunt, losing star opener Henry Davids (13) in the third over to Jacques Kallis. Only Jacques Rudolph (25), Heino Kuhn (10) and Davids himself managed double figures for the Titans.
Balaji ripped through the middle order while Iqbal Abdulla and Manoj Tiwary also chipped in with two wickets apiece to help KKR end the tournament on a positive note.
Earlier, the IPL-V champions piled up a huge total against Titans on the back of solid innings from skipper Gautam Gambhir (44), Debabrata Das (43 not out) and Brendon McCullum (36) on a cloudy day. Opener Manvinder Bisla laid the foundation with brisk 27 runs. He hit three boundaries and two handsome sixes before being undone by Ethy Mbhalati.
Gambhir and McCullum shared a solid 63-run partnership for the second wicket as both charghed the Titans bowling with some aggressive hitting. The Kolkata skipper hit four boundaries and a six during his 36-ball knock. He fell to a superb catch by David Wiese off Roelof van der Merwe at the backward square-leg boundary.
The Knight Riders were now 132 for four and Titans, all but leaking runs until now, were now back in the game. After getting rid of Jacques Kallis (18) and Gautam in quick succession, they also sent out-of-form Yusuf Pathan back for nought.
But Debabrata Das and Manoj Tiwary (13 not out) added 55 runs in 27 deliveries for the sixth wicket to finish off strongly. Das dismantled Alfonso Thomas in the 18th over – accumulating 18 runs – to turn the tide in his team’s favour.
Debabrata’s highest score in Twenty20 cricket was studded with six boundaries and two sixes.
Roelef van der Merwe was pick of the bowlers, by chipping in with a couple of wickets and giving away just 18 runs in four overs.
Debabrata Das was named the Man- of- the- Match for his blistering innings.