Twitter Reactions: Kings XI Punjab upset Lions in their den

Published - 01 May 2016, 20:39 IST | Updated - 01 May 2016, 20:39 IST

2 Min Read

The Kings from Punjab travelled to Gujarat to play the Gujarat Lions in a super Sunday contest, before the start of the game or even at the half-way stage ask anyone and he would have put his bet on the Gujarat Lions to beat Kings XI Punjab with relative ease given the position of the two teams in the points table. But it was kind of an upset as the Kings managed to beat GL in their own den by 23 runs.

Suresh Raina the home skipper won the toss and asked Murali Vijay and Co. to bat first. The wicket was expected to stay true throughout and given the power hitters Raina has in his batting unit, any target looks achievable once they get going. Kings XI had a great start with the new skipper coming out all guns blazing with Marcus Stoinis. The openers put up a 65-run stand before Stoinis was dismissed.

Vijay continued despite losing his partner and got to his half-century but departed soon after. David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha added 30s to the total and KXIP managed 154 all out in 19.5 overs.

It looked like an easy target for the famed Gujarat top order but Mohit Sharma gave them an early blow removing the destructive Brendon McCullum early in the inning. Vijay made some smart bowling changes and he got Mohit back for his second over and he struck again removing the GL skipper Suresh Raina this time. Dwayne Smith also perished soon on an arm-ball from Axar Patel and the left-arm spinner picked DJ Bravo on the very next ball to complete his over, he came back in his next to induce an edge of Ravindra Jadeja and complete his hat-trick, which is the first hat-trick of IPL 2016.

Gujarat never recovered and kept losing wicket Ishan Kishan and James Faulkner scored 27 and 32 respectively but couldn’t take the team over as there was a little too much left for the lower order to manage. In the end, Murali Vijay led KXIP recorded their second victory in the season.

Patel's be like post Axar's Hattrick #eit20 #GLvKXIP pic.twitter.com/GUVaKJ24Q6
— Himanshu Arora (@raula_pao) May 1, 2016

The day when Murli brings Vijay to the team #GLvKXIP #IPL2016 #iplt20
— gaurav dewan (@gauravdewan22) May 1, 2016

Punjab need this victory to be Alive in #IPL2016 and they get it handsomely !
#GLvKXIP #eit20
— VisHal ?? (@ImVpatel) May 1, 2016

8 wickets by left-arm spinners in #GLvKXIP match – joint-most in an IPL match. Only previous instance was DC v CSK, Vizag, 2012.
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) May 1, 2016

so a "vijay" in his first game as captain #sorry #GLvKXIP
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) May 1, 2016

Akshar patel wants people to call him AXAR like girls call bhaiya as bhaayaa.. #GLvKXIP
— Urban poor (@rubaruuuu) May 1, 2016

Gujarat Lions batsmen after their openers get out. #IPL pic.twitter.com/rrD4jY8bJI
— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) May 1, 2016

#KXIP two wins this season have come
against the two new teams…first vs#RPS at home and tonight vs #GL away.#GLvKXIP
— Parry Wasim (@parry_wasim) May 1, 2016

May is the month of hat-trick in IPL so far including today's hat-trick now
in May – 11
in Apr – 2
in March – 1#GLvKXIP #IPL
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) May 1, 2016

https://twitter.com/Muskanb12/status/726778186810417152

The last away win for KXIP came 12 matches ago against MI at Wankhede Stadium in 2015.#GLvKXIP #IPL2016
— #IndianPremierLeague (@AllStarIPL) May 1, 2016

Most balls for 1st wicket in an IPL season: P. Kumar – 159 (2012), 147 (2016), Duminy 128 (2014), Kumble 124 (2007/08) #IPL2016 #KXIPvGL
— Shiva J (@Shiva_cricinfo) May 1, 2016

Our patel Brothers Can Now Argue About Why Gujarat Lions Dont Have Patels and Should Make a Quota For That too ? #GLvKXIP
— Lolwale (@sabkilengayab) May 1, 2016

Worked for Salim-Javed, the name 'Vijay'. Should do for Kings XI too. ?#GLvKXIP #IPL2016
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 1, 2016

#KXIP two wins this season have come against the two new teams…first vs #RPS at home and tonight vs #GL away. #GLvKXIP
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 1, 2016

Axar got a hattrick, what's more surprising is he got more wickets in three balls than Ashwin has got so far in the tournament. #GLvKXIP
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) May 1, 2016

May 1st, 2009 – Yuvraj Singh took first ever hattrick for KXIP in IPL.
May 1st, 2016 – Axar Patel takes IPL hattrick.#IPL #GLvKXIP
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) May 1, 2016

That Awkwardest Moment When Your Future Replacement Takes Your Wicket And Completes His Hattrick.#GLvKXIP Axar Patel #IPL2016 #RPSvsMI
— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) May 1, 2016

First hat-trick by a KXIP bowler since Yuvraj took 2 hat-tricks in 2009 IPL. #GLvKXIP
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) May 1, 2016

After Hardik, again a Patel is destroying Gujarat ?#GLvKXIP
— Sunil (@akshaykanitkar) May 1, 2016

Mohit Sharma strikes early for #KXIP. McCullum misses a straight ball and is castled, OUT for 1 #GLvKXIP #IPL2016
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) May 1, 2016

Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar generating plenty of bounce, even some movement. Will KXIP rue not picking Mitchell Johnson? #GLvKXIP
— Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) May 1, 2016