Pathan conjures 2nd spot for KKR

Yesterday's IPL matches were all about who would finish second in the league and have two shots in the playoffs to reach the final and Yusuf Pathan's withering assault on Sunrisers Hyderabad propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to a four-wicket win and the second spot at the expense of Chennai Super Kings who in the day's first match had beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets and seemingly consolidated their position.
Kolkata needed a substantial boost in net run rate to pip Chennai. When Hyderabad posted a challenging 160 for seven in the evening match at Kolkata, the home team -- needing to win in 15.2 overs to grab second place -- seemed destined for third spot. When Pathan came to the crease in the eighth over, they needed 106 from 47 balls. He was dropped before he had scored a run and then again on 15. Neither were difficult chances.
And then, out of nowhere, it all came together for him. Till today, Adam Gilchrist had held the record for the fastest IPL fifty. It had come off 17 balls. When Yusuf mowed Dale Steyn over deep midwicket for the fifth six of his innings, he had reached 50 in 15 balls. He took 26 off that over - 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 2. By the time Yusuf holed out for 72 off 22 balls, the equation had come down to less than a run a ball. Kolkata beat Hyderabad with 34 balls left to play. They beat Chennai to second with a cushion of six balls.
In the day's first match in Bangalore, a MS Dhoni-powered Chennai made short shrift of Bangalore's total of 154 for six. The Chennai skipper hit a 28-ball 49 with four fours and three sixes as they overhauled the target with 14 balls to spare in their effort to put as much daylight between themselves and Kolkata, but they had not accounted for Pathan's pyrotechnics.  

SCORES IN BRIEF
RCB: 154 for 6 in overs (Kohli 73, Yuvraj 25, Takawale 19; Nehra 3-33, M Sharma 1-16)
CSK: 160 for 2 in 17.4 overs (Du Plessis 54 not out, Dhoni 49 not out, D Smith 34, Raina 18; Rampaul 1-21)
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by 8 wickets.
Player-of-the-match: Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

SH: 160 for 7 in 20 overs (Dhawan 29, Sammy 29; Shakib Al Hasan 1-25).
KKR: 161 for 6 in 14.2 overs (Yusuf 72, Uthappa 41; Sharma 4-38).
Result: Kolkata Knight Riders won by 4 wickets.
Player-of-the-match: Yusuf Pathan.