The Kolkata Knight Riders took one step closer to making the Pepsi IPL 2015 playoffs after they defeated the Delhi Daredevils by 13 runs at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. After opting to bat first and posting 171 runs on the board, KKR restricted the visitors in the second half of the match, keeping them to 158-6. In a deviation from what he normally does, the KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir – possibly influenced by the fact that his side had fielded fours specialist spinners - won the toss and opted to bat first. The hosts got off to a quiet start before Robin Uthappa picked up two boundaries off Zaheer Khan in the third over and Gambhir added two boundaries to his tally in the fourth. The opening pair was separated in the fifth over when Gambhir was sucked into playing at an outswinger from Zaheer Khan, only managing an edge to the wicketkeeper. Uthappa and one-drop Manish Pandey, added 25 runs before Amit Mishra dismissed the former. Uthappa made 32 from 31 balls, aided with four boundaries and a six. Manish Pandey and Piyush Chawla, who was given a promotion to number four, contributed 22 runs each – both batsmen consumed 19 deliveries each and hit one four and one six each. From 108 for four when Chawla was dismissed in the fifteenth over, KKR needed a cameo in the final five overs to finish with a flourish. That call was answered by Yusuf Pathan and Johan Botha. While Yusuf scored 42 from 24 balls, aided with three fours and as many sixes, Botha struck four consecutive boundaries off Zaheer Khan in the final over to take KKR to 171 for 7. For the Delhi Daredevils, Amit Mishra was the best bowler of the night; the leg-spinner, who bowled 14 dot balls on the day, finished with impressive figures of 4-0-20-1. Imran Tahir was the most successful wicket-taker, returning with figures of 2 for 46, while Zaheer Khan, Albie Morkel and Yuvraj Singh too chipped in with a wicket each. One has to make a mention of the two catches grassed in the KKR innings; Manoj Tiwary put down Uthappa when KKR were 30 for no loss in the fourth over, while Yuvraj Singh grassed Uthappa in the sixth over when the KKR score reading 44 for 1. The Delhi Daredevils began their run-chase on a steady note with the new opening pair of Manoj Tiwary and Shreyas Iyer adding 63 in 9.5 overs. Manoj took time to get going, scoring 25 from 28 balls, before being first man out. Shreyas made 40 from 35 balls, studded with three fours and two sixes, before he failed to put bat to a Brad Hogg delivery and had his stumps rearranged. The dismissal of both openers in consecutive overs meant KKR were back in the match and had two new batsmen to bowl to. KKR made use of that opening to put the pressure on the visitors and picked up three wickets. Piyush Chawla struck twice in the fourteenth over when he dismissed Kedar Jadhav and Yuvraj Singh, and then picked up the big wicket of JP Duminy in the sixteenth over to tilt the scales in favour of his team. Despite a cameo from Angelo Mathews (22 from 15 balls) and Saurabh Tiwary (24 from 15 balls), the Delhi Daredevils finished their twenty overs at 158-6 – 14 short of what they needed to get. For the hosts, the two quicks - Umesh Yadav and Andre Russell – did a fair job, conceding only 53 runs in eight overs combined. The spin quartet – Sunil Narine (with his remodelled and cleared action), Piyush Chawla, Brad Hogg and Johan Botha – bowled 12 overs for returns of five for 103. Chawla was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 4 for 32. Brief Scores Kolkata Knight Riders 171-7 in 20.0 Overs (Yusuf Pathan 42, Imran Tahir 2-46) beat Delhi Daredevils 158-6 in 20.0 Overs (Shreyas Iyer 40, Piyush Chawla 4-32) Man of the Match: Piyush Chawla for his 4 for 32