IPL 10, Match 36, KXIP v DD Review: Kings XI Punjab steamroll Delhi Daredevils to register dominating win

The Kings XI Punjab were expected to roar in full flow when they returned to their den in Mohali. However, the Kings fell short in their first home game at the venue against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous match. They were definitely disappointed with the end result and hoped for an improved result in their next fixture at Mohali. KXIP were up against the Delhi Daredevils in the crucial encounters for both sides.

Both teams had been looking for wins this seasons desperately. On most occasions, they were found falling short by narrow margins. Amidst this situation, the two sides locked horns in the match 36 of the tournament. The Kings XI Punjab won the toss and had no hesitation to chase on the day. They brought in Hashim Amla back in the lineup at the expense of Eoin Morgan and T Natarajan made his comeback to the lineup at the expense of Ishant Sharma.

For the Delhi Daredevils, Sam Billings was drafted in the playing eleven and Pat Cummins was the one missing out. Surprisingly enough, skipper Zaheer Khan benched himself due to a strained hamstring and Karun was the stand-in skipper in the match. Also, it was Shahbaz Nadeem who walked back to the team.

Sanju Samson and Sam Billings walked in to open the innings for the Daredevils. What followed was sheer embarrassment for the Delhi camp. Sandeep Sharma ran through the Delhi top order with the new ball swinging both ways. Sam Billings was the first to depart on a duck in the very first over by Sandeep. In his next over, he got rid off the other opener, Samson (5) as well. It was only a matter of time that he got his third scalp when he dismissed Shreyas Iyer on 6.

The story of the remaining part of the innings was no different either. Batsmen walked in but only to head back to the pavilion with low scores to their name. Corey Anderson was the top scorer in the innings that crashed like ten pins. Anderson’s 18 came off 25 balls with a six to his name. It was only a matter of time that the scorecard kept witnessing the fall of wickets till the point of no return.

Despite having played 17.1 overs, the Delhi Daredevils could only post 67 in their innings. Bundling out for a total of 67 came as sheer embarrassment with Sandeep Sharma being the pick of the bowlers with 4/20 to his name. Axar Patel and Varun Aaron bagged 2 wickets each to support the cause of Delhi.

In the runchase, the Kings XI Punjab needed very little time to ease past the total. Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill opened the innings for the hosts and the two batsmen steamrolled the opposition bowler without any hiccup. A scintillating 10 wicket win followed as a result of a quickfire fifty from the bat of Martin Guptill. The kiwi opener scored his first fifty in the IPL to help his team cap off the perfect outing.

The Kings walked past the score in just 7.5 overs as Martin remained unbeaten on 50 off just 27 balls. His knock was studded with 6 fours and 3 sixes. Hashim Amla remained unbeaten on 16 that came off 20 balls. The win now sees Kings XI Punjab jump to number 5 spot in the points ranking with 8 points to his name. Delhi continue to languish at the bottom of the points table.

Brief Scores:

Delhi Daredevils 67/10 in 17.1 overs (Anderson 18, Nair 10, Sandeep 4/20, Aaron 2/3)

Kings XI Punjab 68/0 in 7.5 overs (Guptill 50*, Amla 16*)

Check the full scorecard here.

Check the points table here.