Pune Warriors snapped their nine-match losing streak and knocked Kolkata Knight Riders out of the Pepsi Indian Premier League with a thrilling seven-run win, here today.
Manish Pandey (66), skipper Aaron Finch (48) and Yuvraj Singh (30) guided Pune to competitive 170 for four after being asked to bat.
Yusuf Pathan (72) cracked his first IPL half-century in three years and almost steered KKR home with splendid hitting but he got out in a bizarre fashion towards the end of the chase as he became the first batsman in the IPL history to be given out for obstructing the field.
After managing to negotiate a yorker from Wayne Parnell, Pathan attempted a single. As Pathan ran, the bowler too tried to get close to the ball but Pathan pushed the ball with his foot, causing obstruction in the field.
The matter was refereed to third umpire and he was declared out. His dismissal in the 18th over was turning point of the game as KKR did not have the batsmen to score required 23 runs from 13 balls after that.
Pune restricted Kolkata to 163 for seven to complete their third win from 15 matches.
KKR's chase was far far from ideal as they lost the top three batsmen, including skipper Guatam Gambhir, inside five overs to be struggling at 30 for three.
Parnell trapped Manvinder Bisla (1) in the second over and then castled Jaques Kallis (1) in his next over.
Ishwar Pandey saw the back of rival skipper when Gambhir ballooned one up high in the air while attempting a big shot and the top edge landed in the hands of Yuvraj Singh.
Pathan and Ryan Ten Doeschate (42 off 30) repaired the innings with a 98-run stand for the fourth wicket that put them on the way to win.
However, Pune struck twice in four balls to bring themselves back in the match. Doeschate's run out ended his partnership with Yusuf and at that time KKR needed 44 off the last four overs.
