Gautam Gambhir inspires Kolkata Knight Riders to victory

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Indian Premier League leaders Kings XI Punjab by a nine-wicket margin courtesy of Gautam Gambhir's half-century this afternoon.

Opening batsman Virender Sehwag provided stubborn opposition at the crease by hitting a 50-ball 72 to help the IPL front-runners set a target of 149.

The Knight Riders proved equal to the task, however, as they lost just one wicket - Robin Uthappa (46) - en route to chasing down the target.

Gambhir exceeded the 50-run mark for the third straight game to end on 63 not out from 45 balls, while an also-unbeaten Manish Pandey contributed 36 to seal Kolkata's fourth win of the season.