Yuvraj Singh of Pune Warriors smashes a boundary during the IPL match against KKR in Ranchi on Wednesday. (Prashant Mitra)

Ranchi, May 15: Exit Knights.

Tail-ender Pune Warriors, in a surprise killing in the 65th match of IPL-6 at JSCA greens today, dashed all hopes of Kolkata Knight Riders of making it to the playoffs this season even as star-struck Ranchi reeled under the disappointment of King Khan no-show.

No SRK or Juhi Chawla in a match where Knights won the toss, chased the Warriors’ 170 but fell short by 7 runs. But the thin crowd at JSCA international stadium and fans glued to the telly will remember this Ranchi match for many reasons.

A freak dismissal of KKR’s “hitman” Yusuf Pathan for “obstructing the field”, Warrior and cancer hero Yuvraj Singh’s three classy sixes and cheerleaders grooving to Bhojpuri songs are only the top three.

Pune Warriors — written off from the points table — played well, scoring 170/4 in 20 overs. Batsmen Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh regaled the crowd — around half the 27,000 of the May 12 match. Finch scored a blistering 48 off 32 balls, Yuvi a scorching 30 off 20.

For KKR on the chase, the power-packed 114 partnership between Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate held promise. But Pathan’s high-octane innings of 72 off 44 balls — two sixers and eight fours — was brought to a bizarre halt in the 17.5 over in a decision that will go down the annals of controversial cricketing outs. When ten Doeschate was run out at 42, it was all over for the Knights.

“Tough pill to swallow. The way Pathan was going we should have won the game. Pretty freak dismissal, not seen it in my career,” KKR skipper Gambhir said later.

For cheerleaders, dancing to Bhojpuri star-singer Manoj Tiwari’s “kamariya kare lobab lob” may also be a career-first. Then followed Bollywood scorchers “chikni chameli” and “choli ke peechhe”.

It’s sad that JSCA stadium — KKR’s “second home ground” — had to be its burial ground, again on a day where the crowd supported the Knights.

But the pitch looked up with plenty of sixes and fours. “As we promised, runs flowed and Pune managed to put up a decent score,” said a senior JSCA official.

Among celebs, former chief minister Arjun Munda and Ranchi deputy commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey were spotted in the stadium.

But that was no consolation for a group of teenage girls with SRK posters, seen returning with sullen faces.

“Local channels and newspapers suggested SRK might come. That’s why I came,” said Rashmi Jha, a college-goer, who came with her boyfriend.