Three teams had defended successfully in five games on slow Feroz Shah Kotla surfaces this season. There was no reason why Sunrisers Hyderabad, with one of the best bowling attacks in the competition despite Ashish Nehra's absence, couldn't defend 163 in a knockout game. Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, had won six out of their eight games chasing. This was therefore an even contest on a surface of the kind Knight Riders have thrived on back home in Kolkata. But the loss of early wickets on the face of some disciplined bowling and outstanding fielding by Surisers derailed the two-time champions. Sunrisers, by virtue of a 22-run win, setup a clash with Gujarat Lions in Qualifier-2 at the same venue on Friday.

It wasn't a night of manic six-hitting or breathtaking batting by any stretch, but Yuvraj Singh's 30-ball 44 had all the elements that made him a feared limited-overs batsman once upon a time. Yet the effort that underlined his importance on Wednesday was a direct hit from backward point to send back Colin Munro early in Knight Riders' chase to induce a hint of panic. An effort of that kind automatically lifted a unit that applied pressure courtesy David Warner's tactful bowling changes to escalate the asking rate. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then pulled off a stunner at deep midwicket to dismiss the in-form Yusuf Pathan to further dent Knight Riders. At 69 for 4 in the 11th over, they were firmly behind in the game.

A no-holds-barred contest then came alive as Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav counter-punched, their 46-run stand, laced with unorthodoxy, caused a few flutters in the Sunrisers camp, but there was always the danger of them perishing in the quest for one big hit too many. Suryakumar, who was reprieved in the 15th over by Mustafizur Rahman at third man, couldn't kick on, and miscued a slog to Shikhar Dhawan in the next over to leave Knight Riders needing 47 off 24.

Warner immediately summoned his trump card Mustafizur for the first of his two remaining overs, and he responded by conceding just eight. With no option but to go for hell or high water, Pandey kept swinging, one of which found Deepak Hooda at long-on. His dismissal on 36 brought about an air of inevitability to the chase as Bhuvneshwar, who finished with 3 for 19, followed the dismissal by spearing in yorkers and full-length deliveries which the batsmen couldn't get underneath. It was reduced to a game of hit and miss from there on, much like it was in the first half when Yusuf Pathan an Morne Morkel had Sunrisers, who were sent in, struggling for early momentum.

Dhawan's early dismissal forced Warner to tread cautiously. He scored his first boundary off his 10th delivery, but his methods deviated from the usual. The muscular hits were replaced with drives and dabs behind the wicket. He was reprieved on 10 when Yusuf put down a difficult chance off his own bowling in the fifth over, but he would only go on to add 18 more.

By squeezing out three bonus overs from Yusuf in the Powerplay, Gambhir ensured there was enough bowling arsenal to quell Sunrisers in the middle overs. They also limited Warner's off-side strokeplay by sticking to tight lines. The first six was hit by Henriques, when he pulled Yusuf towards deep midwicket to signal Sunrisers' move; the first six overs, four of which were bowled by the spinners, produced 43.

Kuldeep Yadav introduced in the eighth over was hard to pick. As well as they did to rotate strike, the pair found boundary scoring difficult, as a three-over period after the first six brought just one boundary. The pressure started to tell, and Kuldeep reaped the rewards as his double strike stunted Sunrisers in the 10th over. After taking a skier off his own bowling to send back Henriques, who attempted an across-the-line swipe, he clean bowled Warner with a wrong'un that beat his powerful sweep. At 71 for 3 at the halfway mark, Sunrisers had to start afresh.

Yuvraj walked out to a slip and silly point, and was put through an examination against Narine's wily variations. Intent on attacking the bowlers, he took apart Kuldeep with two lofted hits - one of which made clean connection as the swagger that has made brief appearances in recent times, was back to give Sunrisers hope. He raced to 18 off 12. When he starts off in that fashion, especially on a ground with short boundaries, it points to ominous signs.

Hooda was unfazed by the fuss at the other end; deep midwicket being his preferred area of attack as he slogged two superbly-timed sixes, but his run-out after a mix-up with Yuvraj in the 16th over - Kuldeep effected a direct hit at the bowler's end from mid-off - stalled Sunrisers' upswing yet again.

By then, Yuvraj was in a belligerent mood as he picked three leg-side boundaries before a premeditated move against Jason Holder resulted in his middle stump being flattened. Bipul Sharma's two muscular hits for six gave them momentum going into the break, which they rode to derail the chasing monsters to ensure IPL 2016 will have a new champion.