IPL 9, Match 28: GL v KXIP – 5 Talking Points

It was the battle of extremes at Rajkot when the Gujarat Lions took on the Kings XI Punjab. The story was clear, the table toppers Lions took on the Kings, who were languishing at the bottom of the table. Having won the toss, the Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina invited the Kings XI Punjab to bat first. The Kings started off on a high with scoring at 10 an over in the powerplay.

Flurry of wickets at regular intervals saw Punjab being bowled out for 154/10 in their 20 overs. Skipper Murali Vijay top-scored with 55. The run chase by Lions began in a horrid way as Mohit Sharma picked up two early wickets. A 3-wicket over by Axar Patel seized the deal for Kings mid-way. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as Gujarat Lions could never get in the run-chase.

1. Murali Vijay leads from the front – KXIP off to a flyer:

The Kings XI Punjab started off well with the new look opening pair of Murali Vijay and Marcus Stoinis. The duo made full use of the restrictions and put on 59 in the powerplay. The lofted shots were on display as both batsmen tried to maximize returns in the powerplay. They put on 65 for the 1st wicket in 40 balls. Stoinis was dismissed on 27 off 17. Murali Vijay led the attack from the front and soon brought up his half century. He departed on 55 off 41 in the 14th over in his attempt to accelerate the innings.

2. Shivil Kaushik’s bowling

Shivil Kaushik was the pick of the bowlers for the Gujarat Lions. He finished his spell of 4 overs, returning with figures of 3/20. Shivil, who was playing his second match, spun his way into the Kings top order. He has been in the news for his weird unconventional action, ever since he made his debut against Rising Pune Supergiants. He went wicketless on his debut but covered for it today. He got the wicket of Shaun Marsh, who failed to read his action perhaps. On the very next delivery, he got the wicket of Glenn Maxwell. Later in the innings, he got the prized scalp of Kings XI skipper Murali Vijay, who was looking good for his 55.

3. Glenn Maxwell’s dismissal

Most of the Kings XI Punjab fans keep clinging to their television sets just to watch Glenn Maxwell bat. They were very disappointed with the way the Aussie was adjudged out by the on-field umpire. Glenn Maxwell lost his wicket and was dismissed for a golden duck due to an umpiring blunder. Shivil Kaushik bowled a delivery outside off that shaped away from Maxwell as he threw his hands on it. The ball went into the wicket-keeper’s gloves and he was ruled out caught behind. Maxwell was absolutely amused at the decision. The replays clearly showed no edge on the snicko-meter.

4. Gujarat Lions top order fails:

The Gujarat Lions have been riding on the spectacular starts given by their openers in this season. The Lions openers had scored 70 plus in the powerplays on three occasions prior to this match. In the match against Kings XI, the Gujarat Lions opener failed to give a decent start and this reflected in their run-chase. Mohit Sharma got through the defenses of Brendon McCullum in the 2nd over to put the Lions on the back foot. If that wasn’t enough, Mohit bowled another good delivery to castle Suresh Raina in the 5th over. Dwayne Smith, without his partner McCullum at the wicket, looked uneasy and could only manage 15 off 18 balls before getting dismissed.

5. Axar Patel hat-trick – 4 wickets in 5 balls:

Axar Patel brought the Kings XI Punjab in complete control of the game with his bowling. Axar, who had an ordinary IPL so far, picked up 4 wickets in space of 5 balls which including a hat-trick. He became the second bowler from Kings XI Punjab, after Yuvraj Singh, to take an IPL hat-trick. He got rid of Dwayne Smith in the 7^th over. A couple of deliveries later he bowled Dinesh Karthik. On the very next delivery, he dismissed Dwayne Bravo in the similar fashion. In his next over, he got the edge past the bat of Ravindra Jadeja, to complete his hat-trick. Patel finished with figures of 4/21 in his spell of 4 overs.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: Kings XI Punjab upset Lions in their den