In the battle of champions, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Perth Scorchers by three wickets in a thrilling Champions League Twenty20 encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here Wednesday.

 

 

 Chasing Scorchers' total of 151/7, the reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions achieved the target with two balls to spare. With the win, the Kolkata-based team won their 12th match on the trot.

 

 The reigning Big Bash League (BBL) champions got the start they needed with openers Adam Voges (71 not out) and Craig Simmons (39). The duo took the Scorchers to 68 for no loss when Simmons had to return to the pavilion.

 

 However, skipper Voges thereon kept running out of partners at regular intervals and could not develop any strong partnership. He was given some support in the middle by wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Whiteman (21) but eventually had to take it upon himself to help the Australian side reach the 150-mark.

 

 Knight Riders' spinners Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav wreaked havoc for the Scorchers, sharing all the seven wickets between themselves. While mystery spinner Narine clinched four, chinaman bowler Yadav went home with three scalps.

 

 In reply, the Indian team did not start well and kept losing wickets occasionally. However, a special unbeaten knock of 43 from 19 balls, which included four sixes and a boundary, from Suryakumar Yadav saw the team through at the end.

 

 For the Scorchers, Yasir Arafat clinched three wickets while Nathan Coulter-Nile had to be content with two.

 

 Brief scores: Perth Scorchers 151/7 in 20 overs (Adam Voges 71 not out, Craig Simmons 39, Sam Whiteman 21; Sunil Narine 4/31, Kuldeep Yadav 3/24) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 153/7 in 19.4 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 43 not out, Manish Pandey 24, Robin Uthappa 23; Yasir Arafat 3/39, Nathan Coulter-Nile 2/41).