The 47th match of this IPL season was very vital for Kings XI Punjab; a win would have increased their chances to qualify for the playoffs.
Punjab loss the toss and were asked to bat first. Hasim Amla gave an overwhelming, start for the home side. The South African opener prevailed over the Gujarat bowlers, as he scored a stunning 102 runs off 60 balls (4*8, 6*5). But he was trapped lbw by an accurate Yorker from pacer Basil Thampi on the penultimate ball of the innings.
Shaun Marsh patiently stayed with Amla at the other end. Marsh scored 58 runs off 43 balls with 6 boundaries.
After Marsh departed from the crease Punjab skipper Maxwell scored 20 off 11 balls.
Chasing a total of 183/3 is not easy, especially when you are in the opponent’s territory. But Gujarat did not care for the total or the support.
Dwayne Smith’s 74 off 39 balls (8*4, 4,6) made Lions chase the target in 19.4 overs. The result gave dent to Punjab’s chances of making the playoffs.
The visitors needed 24 off the last 12 balls after Sandeep Sharma bowled an impressive 18th over. But Aaron conceded 16 runs in the 19th over. Lions just needed 8 off the final over which on form Dinesh Karthik (35 off 23) managed without any issue.
Lions captain Suresh Raina (39 off 25 balls) reached another milestone as he became the first players in IPL to score 4500 runs. He is also the only player to score 400 runs in eight of the 10 IPL editions.
AMandeep
