IPL: Sunrisers edge out Bangalore for final playoff spot after beating Knight Riders

Sunrisers Hyderabad survived a late wobble to beat Kolkata Knight Riders and book the final playoff spot in the IPL.

Victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday meant the Sunrisers needed to win to become one of the four teams to progress and they got home by five wickets after Darren Sammy smashed successive sixes in the penultimate over just when the Hyderabad crowd feared they might blow it.

Another solid bowling performance by the Sunrisers helped restrict the Knight Riders to just 130-7 off their 20 overs after the visitors had won the toss and opted to bat.

South African Dale Steyn took 2-24 from his four overs while Anand Rajan, Thisara Perera, Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma chipped in with a wicket each and combined to keep the run rate down.

Yusuf Pathan was the mainstay of the Kolkata innings, hitting three fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 49 from just 29 balls.

It looked to be a cruise for the Sunrisers when opening pair Parthiv Patel (47) and Shikhar Dhawan (42) put on 89 for the opening wicket.

However, 89-0 became 112-5 - Iqbal Abdulla claiming 3-29 - to leave their playoff hopes in jeopardy again.

Tension rose in the ground as Sammy could only play out a maiden over from Sunil Narine and suddenly the Sunrisers needed 19 off 13 balls.

Biplab Samantray hit a four from the final delivery of the 18th over and with 11 needed from nine balls, West Indies ace Sammy blasted back-to-back sixes off Iqbal Abdulla to seal the deal for Sunrisers and leave long faces back in Bangalore.