Matthew Hayden led the way with a superb unbeaten 70 as the Chennai Super Kings posted a convincing nine-wicket win over Kolkata to move to the top of the Indian Premier League.
Set 148 for victory, Chennai's openers made short work of closing in on the required tally, Hayden combining for 66 runs in a first-wicket partnership with Parthiv Patel before the Australia stalwart teamed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni for a match-winning stand of 86.
The win is Chennai's third in as many games, but the Knight Riders' unbeaten start is now over.
The Super Kings were brim-full of confidence prior to the match and the self-assurance in their ranks was typified by openers Hayden and Patel, who hit a quickfire 66 inside nine overs before Patel fell for 21.
Having been dropped on 20 by David Hussey, Patel added just one more run before he was caught at deep fine leg by Ishant Sharma off the bowling of Ajit Agarkar.
The loss of the wicket did not affect the focus of Hayden, who claimed his second IPL fifty on his way to posting 70 in just 49 balls. The veteran opener hit three sixes and six fours in a masterly display at the crease.
The manner in which Hayden was bossing the Kolkata attack meant that victory was almost a formality for the hosts, and so it proved as Dhoni joined Hayden in the middle and added 43 runs from just 27 deliveries as Chennai cruised home.
Earlier, the Knight Riders' innings got off to a miserable start with the loss of Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting inside three overs.
New Zealander Jacob Oram did the damage for the hosts, first taking the scalp of compatriot McCullum (24) when Suresh Raina took the catch in the covers, while the same duo combined again just a ball later as Ponting was dismissed for a golden duck.
Hussey (nought) and Prasanta Saha (24) fell a short time later, and the writing was on the wall by the time captain Sourav Ganguly was dismissed for a paltry 12 from 19 balls in the ninth over to leave the visitors rocking on 70 for five.
Laxmi Shukla steadied Kolkata with a workmanlike 42 from 33 balls before he was run out in the final over.
Oram finished as the pick of the Chennai attack with three for 32, while there were two-wicket hauls for Manpreet Gony and Palani Amarnath.
In the day's other game, an impressive all-round performance from Shane Watson saw the Rajasthan Royals continue their fine form with a seven-wicket victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Watson took two for 20 off his four overs as the Royal Challengers were restricted to 135 for eight in Bangalore, before smashing an unbeaten 61 from 41 balls to lead his side home with 17 balls to spare.
The frugal Royals were seen by many as Indian Premier League underdogs after spending roughly half as much as the other franchises at the pre-season auction but, having won three of their first four matches, they are in an excellent position to push for a semi-final place.
After Watson's compatriot and captain Shane Warne won the toss, the all-rounder was on the money straight away, removing Bangalore openers Rahul Dravid and Shivnarine Chanderpaul courtesy of catches from Ravindra Jadeja.
Ross Taylor was the star performer for the Royal Challengers, smashing 44 off 20 balls, before becoming the first of Munaf Patel's two wickets.
But Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli and Mark Boucher failed to follow suit as the middle order capitulated.
Shane Warne (one for 23) bowled a rare maiden, before some late runs from Praveen Kumar (34 off 30) helped Bangalore recover from 78 for six.
Although Kumar removed Mahesh Rawat early on, Rajasthan's reply always looked likely to be successful.
Yusuf Pathan plundered 21 off 12 before falling to Zaheer Khan, leaving Graeme Smith and Watson together.
They compiled a stand of 104, the highlight of which was a Kumar over which was taken for 26 - five fours and a maximum - by a rampant Watson.
Smith eventually fell for 49, caught at long on by Anil Kumble off the bowling of Sunil Joshi, but Watson saw the Royals home.
The win takes Rajasthan second in the table while Bangalore are sixth after one win and two defeats.
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