Durban, May 20: Laxmi Ratan Shukla hit a vital 48 not out as Kolkata Knight Riders knocked defending champions Rajasthan Royals out of the Indian Premier League with a four-wicket win here on Wednesday.

Kolkata were tottering at 45/6 chasing a modest 102-run target before Shukla steered his team home with a 57-run stand for the unfinished seventh wicket with Ajit Agarkar (13 not out).

Man-of-the-match Shukla smashed two sixes and three fours in his 46-ball knock. Shane Warne’s Rajasthan failed to qualify for the semifinals, finishing their league engagements with 13 points from 14 matches. Kolkata finished last with seven points.

Delhi lead the eight-team tournament with 18 points from 13 games, followed by Chennai (15/13), Deccan (14/13), Bangalore (14/13), Punjab (14/13), Rajasthan (13/14), Mumbai (11/13) and Kolkata (7/14).

The top four sides advance to the semifinals. South African fast bowler Charl Langeveldt earlier played a key role in restricting Rajasthan to a small total, finishing with 3/15 off four overs in his only match of the tournament.

He was backed by Indian seamer Agarkar, who grabbed 2/15 in four overs. Naman Ojha top-scored for Rajasthan with 22. — AFP