BANGALORE: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Bollywood actress Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) after a nail-biting finish in the IPL 7 final on Sunday night to emerge champions for the second time in three years.

Chasing a stiff target of 200, Kolkata were propelled by a half century by Manish Pandey (94 off 50 balls) to make 200-7 in 19.3 overs.

Despite losing the in-form Uthappa cheaply, KKR were always ahead of the asking rate with skipper Gambhir (23) leading the way.

Yusuf Pathan bludgeoned four sixes in a 22-ball cameo of 36 and Chawla held his nerve at the end to hammer a six off Johnson and crack the winning boundary.