IPL 10, Match 47, KXIP vs GL: 5 Game Changing Moments

In the 47th game of the IPL, Gujarat Lions played the role of party poopers perfectly as they defeated the Kings XI Punjab at their home ground in Mohali by six wickets and two balls to spare. With that, the possibility of the Punjab-based team to reach the playoffs becomes improbable. The match started off with Suresh Raina winning the toss and electing to field first.

Hashim Amla scored yet another graceful ton, full of finesse, in a losing cause. Shaun Marsh looked at his very best as he scored a vital half-century to set the match up perfectly for the home side. They posted an above par score of 189 in front of an unpredictable Gujarat Lions batting line-up.

However, Gujarat Lions chased down the score posted by King’s XI easily with help of early fireworks from Dwayne Smith, a captain’s knock from Raina and a calm head of Dinesh Karthik. Let us go through the game-changing moments which decided the course of the game.

1.Brilliant start by the KXIP bowlers

Kings XI started off on a perfect note by taking the wicket of dangerous Guptill. Pradeep Sangwan took the wicket of Guptill and gave hardly anything away in the powerplay overs. Sangwan was ably supported by Basil Thampi and Dhawal Kulkarni as they were economical in their approach during the first seven overs. Even when James Faulkner turned the tide with his 15-run over, Gujarat Lions only conceded 44 runs in the first six overs.

2. Innings defining partnership between Amla and Shaun Marsh

Shaun Marsh walked in to join Hashim Amla when the score was 2-1. The duo stitched an innings defining partnership of 125 runs in almost 15 overs to lay the platform for the likes of Maxwell and Axar Patel to propel their score towards 200. Hashim Amla brought up his second ton of the tournament with a six as he scored 104 off 60 balls. He hit 8 wristy boundaries and 5 glorious sixes. Marsh looked in fine form as he scored a 43-ball 58.

3. The final flourish

Maxwell and Amla added as many as 66 in final five overs of the innings. Maxwell cameo of 20 runs came at a strike rate of 182 and consisted of two maximums. Amla was responsible for ruining the figures of Basil Thampi as he took him to the cleaners in the final couple of overs. He hit him for 3 fours and 2 sixes, while Maxwell hit Pradeep Sangwan for a couple of consecutive sixes in the penultimate over to treat the Punjabi supporters at Mohali.

4. Dropped catches of Smith and sloppy fielding

In total, Kings XI dropped three catches while trying to defend their score of 190. All three of them turned out to be expensive as both Raina and Dwayne Smith took the game away with their respective contributions. Dwayne was dropped twice within a space of 2 overs. The West Indian went on to score a rapid 39-ball 74 as he entertained one and all by hitting 4 sixes and 8 fours. Raina scored a vital 39 off 25 runs to take the game away from the home side. Apart from the dropped catches, Kings XI were amateurish in the ground fielding as they gave away far too many overthrows and extra runs during the crunch situations of the game.

5.  Dinesh Karthik finishing knock under pressure

Dinesh Karthik made use of his vast experience and finished the game for his side in a Dhoniesque fashion. The match was placed in favor of the visitors when he came into bat first in the 12th over of the match. With Finch and Raina back in the pavilion, and Gujarat needing 24 off 12 balls, Karthik and Jadeja knocked off 16 runs with the Tamil Nadu batsman hitting 11 of them. In the end, it was easier than expected for Lions as Karthik hit a boundary to finish off the game for the Lions. The Rajkot-based side won the match by 6 wickets and a couple of balls to spare.