IPL 10, Match 26, GL v KXIP Review: Kings XI Punjab tame the Lions in their backyard

Kings XI Punjab beat Gujarat Lions by 26 runs at the SCA Stadium, Rajkot.

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Kings XI Punjab. (Photo Source: BCCI)

The stage was set at the SCA Stadium at Rajkot as the Gujarat Lions locked horns with the Kings XI Punjab. The Lions hoped that the home advantage finally works out in their favor this season. They had a rough run at the home venue coming into the match. On the other hand, the Kings XI Punjab had a tough time in the tournament as well. After having their first two games, they crashed poorly to find themselves in the bottom half of the points table.

Playing against the Gujarat Lions, the Kings XI Punjab had their best chance of getting back to the winning ways. Coming into the game, it was the home skipper Suresh Raina who won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Lions brought back Andrew Tye in the lineup at the expense of James Faulkner. Shubham Agarwal and Nathu Singh made their debuts for the Lions in the game as well. They came in at the expense of Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar. Akshdeep Nath was brought in and Ishan Kishan was left out after being ill on the day.

The Kings XI Punjab did not make a host of changes but had a few in their lineup as well. Manan Vohra came back to the lineup in place of Swapnil Singh and T Natarajan replaced Ishant Sharma in the playing eleven. With revamped sides, the two teams took the field.

In walked Manan Vohra and Hashim Amla to open the innings for KXIP. Debutants Nathu Singh and Shubham Agarwal shared the new ball on the day and created pressure first up in the game. Nathu struck first blood as he got rid of in-form batter Vohra on 2 in the second over of the game. Shaun Marsh joined Hashim Amla at the crease. Both batsmen played with flair and balance to put Kings in control of the run flow.

Both batsmen added a crucial 70 run stand for the second wicket. It was Andrew Tye who proved to be the wicket taker for Lions as he got rid of Marsh in the 10th over. Marsh was dismissed on 30 that he score in 24 deliveries. Glenn Maxwell arrived in at number 4 and gave stability to the innings. Meanwhile, Amla notched up his fifty in the match. He could not add much to his score after that though. Shubham Agarwal took a stunner off his own bowling to send him packing on 65 off 40 deliveries with 9 fours and 2 sixes.

Maxwell, who was looking good too, was dismissed in quick succession within three deliveries. The Kings XI Punjab skipper scored 31 off just 18 balls with 3 maximums and a six. Marcus Stoinis perished cheaply on 7 and the innings crashed midway. It was a late cameo from Axar Patel that saw Kings end up with a score of 188/7 in their 20 overs. Patel scored a quick 34 off just 17 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name.

The Gujarat Lions knew that the target was not a very daunting one and some sensible batting could have seen them through on the day. However, they ended up messing things up big time. Openers Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch failed to give a good start to the team. Sandeep Sharma sent McCullum back to the dugout in the very first over on 6. Finch scored 13 off 12 balls before becoming the victim of Mohit Sharma.

Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik then joined hands at the crease to do the task of rebuilding the innings. The two senior campaigners did a very decent job to add some runs on the board before Raina got dismissed on 32 that came off 24 balls. Axar Patel was the beneficiary on the day as he got the prized scalp. What followed next was absolute mayhem. Wickets started to fall apart like ten pins.

Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Smith, and Akshdeep Nath departed for scores of 9, 4 and 0 respectively with Cariappa accounting for two dismissals. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik completed his fifty in the match. Andrew Tye also chipped in with a quick 12-ball 22. But in the end, it all went in vain as the Lions could only manage 162/7 in their 20 overs. Karthik remained unbeaten on 58 off 44 balls with 6 fours to his name as Kings XI Punjab won by 26 runs on the day.

Brief Scores:

Kings XI Punjab 188/7 in 20 overs (Amla 65, Patel 34, Tye 2/35, Nathu 1/7)

Gujarat Lions 162/7 in 20 overs (Karthik 58*, Raina 32, Cariappa 2/24, Axar 2/36)

Check out full scorecard here

Check out Points table here

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