IPL 9, Match 32: KXIP v KKR – 5 Talking Points

Kolkata Knight Riders were back to their hunting ground to take on the lowly ranked Kings XI Punjab. Punjab skipper Murali Vijay won the toss and elected to bowl first. As has been the trend, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir wanted to bowl too. The Kolkata openers were solid once again and put on 101 runs stand in 81 balls before skipper Gambhir was run out on 54. Robin Uthappa continued his onslaught and scored a well compiled half century too. A few more lusty blows in the end by the heroes of the last match, Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell, saw KKR post a decent total of 164/3 on the board though it looked 10-15 runs short of what they should have got given the start they had.

KXIP’s run chase began in shatters but later picked up momentum as Glenn Maxwell hit the long ball. Towards the end, Axar Patel also tried his best but couldn’t finish it. Kings once again failed to perform collectively as a team and that is where KKR edged ahead.

1. KKR opener continue dominion at home ground:

As has been the story so far, the Kolkata Knight Riders openers, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa, have plundered runs at their home venue. The story was no different in the game against the Kings. The duo batted magnificently to put on a century stand for the first wicket. Gambhir scored yet another half century to make a strong statement to the critics. He has now risen up in the race for the Orange Cap. He scored 54 off 45 with 6 fours and a six before being run out. Robin Uthappa, was the more aggressive batter on the night among the two. He scored 70 off just 49 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He was unfortunate to be run out too, but had only himself to blame.

2. Kings XI bowlers go wicketless:

It certainly wasn’t the night for the Kings XI bowlers. None of their bowlers could trouble the batters. The story for them was so precarious that all of them, as many as 7 bowlers used, went wicketless. Three wickets fell in the Kolkata Knight Riders innings, and all of them were run outs. Had there not been some poor running between the wickets, KKR would have probably ended up being no wickets down. However, giving some credit to the bowlers, they managed to restrict KKR to 164. Mohit Sharma, who has been the leading wicket-taker for Kings XI this year, was the most expensive on the night and gave away 39 runs in his 4 overs.

3. KXIP have a horrid start:

Chasing 165 for victory, Kings XI Punjab made the worst possible start. The newly assigned openers, Marcus Stoinis and Murli Vijay, had put up a fifty run stand in their previous game but could post just 1 today. Marcus Stoinis was out in the first over by Andre Russell. Russell got another wicket in his second over, that of Manan Vohra. Morne Morkel got the priced scalp of skipper Vijay in the fourth over and in no time, KXIP were stuttering at 13/3. Definitely with starts like those, it become a herculean task to win matches.

4. Maxwell attack and Axar blitz:

In walked Glenn Maxwell and there is something about this guy that makes him so popular, even if he is not performing. Maxwell shouldered the responsibility of taking Kings XI out of danger and batted with mixed caution and aggression. He brought Kings XI Punjab very close to victory almost single-handedly. The equation was down to 50 needed off 33 balls when he was around. In his attempt to accelerate, he perished on a googly by Piyush Chawla. Earlier Maxwell brought up his second fifty of the season and was dismissed on 68 that came off just 42 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes. Later in the innings, when KXIP were almost out of the game, Axar Patel came in started in this fashion – 6, 6, 4! and gave them hopes of a victory. But some sheer brilliance by Andre Russell saw him run out on 21 off juts 7.

5. Russell’s spell:

The main highlight of the match was Andre Russell’s performance. With the bat, he hit a 10-ball 16 with a four and a maximum. He was absolutely phenomenal with the ball as well. He got rid off Marcus Stoinis in the first over and then took the wicket of Manan Vohra. Later he also got rid of David Miller. At that stage of the match, his bowling figures read 3/3 in 2.3 overs! Axar Patel disturbed his numbers with a couple of maximums but he had the last laugh as he inflicted a brilliant run out to dismiss Patel. Russell later went on to take the wicket off Swapnil Singh too. He finished with figures of 4/20 in his four overs.

How did the game pan out? – IPL 9, Match 32 Review: Russell’s brilliant last over seals a close win for KKR