Losing four wickets in the Powerplay, the Tallawahs were in trouble at 25-4 and despite a 50-run partnership between Fabian Allen and Imad Wasim too much was left to do at the back end.
A total of 116-7 never looked like it was enough, but the Tallawahs fought gamely to defend the total taking out six wickets in the process.
However, Andre Russell and Akeal Hosein saw the chase home to move the Knight Riders into the top four.
Earlier, Ravi Rampaul impressed to uproot the Tallawahs batting, the seam bowler took 4-19, including three in the Powerplay to put the Knight Riders in complete control.
The Tallawahs only had an energetic Fabian Allen half-century to thank to prevent a total collapse.
The Knight Riders made hard going of what should have been a simple chase. Openers Nicholas Pooran and Tion Webster both fell for ducks to leave the Knight Riders 0-2 in the first two overs. But Colin Munro (40 off 28) and Tim Seifert (28 off 31) rebuilt the innings with a 50-run partnership.
When the pair fell in quick succession the Tallawahs had a moment of hope, but Russell (18* off 12) and Hosein (14* off 19) ensured there would be no dramatic defeat, guiding the Knight Riders home with five balls to spare. (CPL)