IPL 10, Match 47, KXIP v GL Review: Lions halt Kings XI Punjab merry march in Mohali

When the Gujarat Lions took on the Kings XI Punjab at Mohali in the match 47 of the IPL 10, they had nothing to lose from the game. They had already been out of the race for the playoffs and hence the match would not have done anything good to their position in the points table. On the other hand, the match had supreme importance for the Kings who needed to win all their remaining fixtures to stay alive in the hunt for the playoffs.

Coming into the match, it was the Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina who won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first. Such has been the trend this season that the teams prefer chasing totals. They went into the game with only three overseas players and Dhawal Kulkarni came in for Brendon McCullum. KXIP, on the other hand, have Gurkeerat Singh Mann a game at the expense of Manan Vohra.

The Kings XI Punjab openers Martin Guptill and Hashim Amla walked in to open the innings. They had a big jolt early on in the innings when Pradeep Sangwan managed to dismiss Guptill in the very first over. Shaun Marsh came in to bat at number 3 in the lineup. Marsh and Amla started to take the counter attack on the opposition. They started off cautiously but soon got into their groove.

With free flowing shots coming their way, the confidence level for the KXIP batters only got better. Soon, both players raced past their individual fifties to stay in complete control of the innings. They added 125 runs in 89 deliveries for the second wicket before Dhawal Kulkarni dismissed Shaun Marsh on 58 in the 16th over. His knock came off 43 deliveries with 6 fours to his name.

Skipper Glenn Maxwell joined Amla at the crease. Meanwhile, Amla stormed towards his second ton of the season. He was well supported by a late flourish from Glenn Maxwell too. Amla lost his wicket on the penultimate delivery of the innings after scoring 104 off 60 balls with 8 fours and 5 sixes. A quick unbeaten 20 off 11 balls with 2 sixes from Maxwell helped KXIP post 189/3 in their 20 overs.

In the run chase, Gujarat Lions were off to a blitz with Ishan Kishan and Dwayne Smith going all guns blazing in the powerplay. They added 58 runs in the powerplay as Smith rode on his luck on the day. He was dropped twice in the innings and made the most out of the let-offs. He thundered to his fifty and looked in ominous touch. The openers added 91 runs in 56 balls before Ishan Kishan was dismissed on 29 off 24 balls with 3 fours to his name.

In walked Suresh Raina to join Smith at the crease. Both players continued to take the charge on the bowlers and did not let the run flow cease at any stage. Smith eventually perished after scoring a magnificent 74 off 39 balls with 8 fours and 4 sixes before being dismissed by Glenn Maxwell in the 12th over. The score was already over the 120 mark at that stage.

Wickets of Suresh Raina (39) and Aaron Finch (2) fell in quick succession as Sandeep Sharma bagged both scalps in the 18th over. With 24 needed of 2 overs, Kings XI Punjab still fancied their chances. However, the penultimate over from Varun Aaron leaked 16 runs that pretty much ended the game for them. Gujarat Lions crossed the total with 6 wickets in hand and 2 balls to spare. Dinesh remained unbeaten on 35 to help Lions run over the line.

Brief Scores:

Kings XI Punjab 189/3 in 20 overs (Amla 104, Marsh 58, Dhawal 1/24, Sangwan 1/28)

Gujarat Lions 192/4 in 19.4 overs (Smith 74, Raina 39, Sandeep 2/29, Maxwell 1/21)

Check full scorecard here.