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INDORE: A blistering century stand between Dinesh Karthik and Shaun Marsh guided Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala and kept their Indian Premier League playoff hopes alive on Friday.
Chasing 179, Punjab lost both openers cheaply in the first five overs, including skipper Adam Gilchrist, but Karthik hammered a 33-ball 69 with the help of five sixes and seven fours to tear apart the Kochi attack.
Karthik found an able ally in Marsh (42) and they stitched together a 111-run partnership in 9.3 overs that tilted the game in favour of Punjab who jumped to the sixth place after their fifth victory in 11 matches.
Kochi paceman Rudra Pratap Singh claimed four for 25 but that was not enough to prevent Punjab from romping home in 18.5 overs.
For Kochi, it was a bitter end to a match that began so promisingly as skipper Mahela Jayawardene (76) and his opening partner Brendon McCullum (32) gave them a fine start at the Holkar Stadium, staging an IPL match for the first time.
They added 93 runs before McCullum fell in the ninth over and Kochi, who were at a commanding 103 for one wicket at the midway stage, could not continue the momentum and settled for 178 for seven.
