In a low-scoring encounter, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) outfoxed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 12 ru🅘ns in the 43rd match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 o൲n Saturday.
Chasing a paltry target of 127, Sunrisers started pretty well. The opening pair of Jonny Bairstow (19) and David Warner (35) stitched together a crucial stand of 56 runs.
Both Warner and Bairstow were looking set to cruise through, but Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin had some other plans. Both the spinners dismissed ✤the SRH opening duo in successive overs.
Soon, Mohammed Shami joined the fun by removing Abdul Samad (7), reducing SRH to 67 for 3.
Manish Pandey (15) and Vijay Shankar (26), who gu♛ided SRH to a fantastic victory against RR in their previous match, tried to continue the same momentum. The pair stabilised the innings by adding 33 runs for the fourth wicket before Chris Jordan dismissed Pandey in the 17th over.
KXIP bowlers got the momentum as in the very next over, Arshdeep Singh got the prized wicket of Shankar.
Jordan came to bowl the penultimate over and sent shockwaves to SRH camp by claiming two back-to-back wickets in the form of Jason Holder (5) and Rashid Khan (0).
SRH needed 14 to win in the final over, but Arshdeep did an amazing job for KXIP. He conceded just one run and picked up three wickets as KXIP were bundl🍸ed out on 114 w🦩ith one ball to spare.
Lowest totals successfully defended by KXIP in IPL:
- 119 vs MI in Durban, 2009
- 126 vs SRH in Dubai, 2020
- 132 vs KKR in Abu Dhabi, 2014
With the victory, KXIP reached fifth place in the points table.
Disciplined bowling by SRH restricted KXIP to 126/7
Earlier, an all-round bowling performance by Sunrisers helped them to restrict KXIP at 126/7. SRH pacer Sandeep Sharma provided the first breakthrough in the form of Mandeep Singh (17), who opened the innings with skipper KL Rahul.
Chris Gayle (20) jo🦹ined Rahul in the middle and added 29 runs for the second wicket before Holder dismissed Gayle in 🍌the 10th over.
In th🦂e very next over, Rashid joined the party by sending Rahul (27) back into the dugout with a beauty.
After the two quick wickets, Nicholas Pooran (32) and Glenn Maxwell (12) tried to stabilise the innings, but Sandeep didn’t let that happen. He removed Maxwell in the 14th over. Punjab kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and in the end, they posted only 126/7 on the scoreboard.
For SRH, Rashid, Holder and Sandeep, all three bowlers bagged tw🍸o wickets each. Rashid was also the least expensive bowler for his side. He conceded only 14 runs in his four overs at an economy of 3.50.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Well w😼ell well ! I told you this team has got some momentum going @lionsdenkxip has snatched that game out of hands That’s what happens if you don’t go ahead of the run rate in a low scoring game ! Tables getting interesting 🤔?
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12)
Story of the tournament
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh)
What a victory @lionsdenkxip! Cricket is truly a mystery! As they say nothing is done in a game of cricket unt♚il the last ball is bowled! Absolute brilliant team effort from the Punjab boys! ꦯ
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth)
𒁃 losing 7 wickets for 15 runs in the last 4 overs. They for sure dug♉ a grave for themselves.
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani)
Amazing amazing effort !!!
Big up boys 👊🏽👊🏽🔥— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket)
Arshdeep wh🎃at a star 🌟 for kings 11 @lionsdenk🐽xip well done
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh)
Himmat na haaro ke prime example @lionsdenkxip 🌼
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan)
Catches win matches thats what exactly happened when took that brilliant catch of Manish Pandey. Turning poi💎nt of the match!! @lionsdenkxip
— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R)
Shocking. KXIP managed ♎to finish the match with one ball remaining🌊.
— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar)
Well played, @𒊎lionsdenkxip. That ൲was some fight back.
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers)
Sunrisers Hyderabad lost to Kings XI Punjab in the IPL for the first time under David Warner's captaincy.
Warner led SRH in seven IPL games against KXIP before this match and scored fifti🧜es in all those seve🃏n.
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats)
has pulle🔯d of an amazing win that seemed nearly impossible through the half way mark !! Scintillating game !arshdeepsingh ,Jordan ,Bishnoi and the rest of the bowling line up were to good . All in all it was bowlers show tonight.
— Mithun Manhas (@MithunManhas)
There isn’t a dull moment when plays…even when they score 126 in 20 overs. THE most entertaining team of is Kings from Punjab. More power to them…
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash)
T🐲errific death bowling from Arshdee🌠p Singh and Chris Jordan
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
A dramatic collapse!
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia)
🔥UNBELIEVABLE WIN FOR KINGS XI PUNJAB!🔥
Chr♚is Jordan takes 3-17 as collapse to 114 a🍬ll out win by 12 runs!
4 wins in a row for KL Rahul's team – they go above into 5th place!
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket)
Chris Jordaar! 1-1-W-W-1-0 👏🏻
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)
Must saꦆy, @l꧙ionsdenkxip have been the most entertaining team this !
So many close games, Super Overs, close wins.
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS)