Hello and welcome to live match updates and commentary for the IPL match between Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab at Rajkot.
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And that's that. A tame end for Gujarat Lions in a game that see-sawed a bit. In the end, you'd have to say it was Murali Vijay's captaincy that made the difference for Kings XI Punjab and reversed its declining win-rate. The way he shuffled his bowlers was as unpredictable as MS Dhoni's. And it really paid off as the spinners, hat-tricker Axar Patel (4/21 at 5.25 an over) and K Cariappa (3 overs at 5 an over) went for the jugular after Mohit (3 for 32) and Sandeep Sharma (Faulkner's wicket) got crucial break-throughs. The wicket began to skid and rip in this second innings, and the Kings XI bowlers were able to get many a Gujarat Lion out bowled and deceived off the pitch. And it shows that the Lions aren't so invincible once you get to their juicy underbelly — its middle order.
Spare a thought for Shivil Kaushik's amazing bowling in the previous innings.
GL 131/9 after 20 overs (S Kaushik 0 off 0 | D Kulkarni 6 off 4 || lose by 23 runs)
The toppers of the table get defeated by the last positioned team. Finally a victory for KXIP, after a long time indeed! >#GLvKXIP
— AkShAtA (@MenInBlueDvotee) >May 1, 2016
And Faulkner (32 from 27) is now gone too as Gujarat Lions descend into the doldrums, with 30 runs to get off 4 deliveries. He miscued a slog straight into Miller's hands at Long-on.
GL 125/8 after 19 overs (J Faulkner 32 off 25 | D Kulkarni 0 off 0 || need 30 from 6 balls)
Cariappa! He's tapped it into the boundary for four at Third-man after Praveen Kumar lobs it in his direction. But he is absolved off the last ball of the over as he gets a mulligan, and pouches Praveen Kumar (15 from 13) this time. Great bowling by Mohit Sharma. Lions will not likely make this target now.
GL 118/7 after 18 overs (J Faulkner 31 off 24 | P Kumar 9 off 8 || need 37 from 12 balls)
Faulkner swings. Ball rises and starts to fall into Deep Midwicket. Maxwell dives. Maxwell yorks himself. Maxwell looks sheepish as the ball trickles past him for four . Stoinis thinks the ball is still in play and reprimands his fellow Australian for looking sheepish while there is still work to be done, and it's Stoinis's turn to look sheepish as Maxwell points to the boundary. Now, Kumar dabs it away for four through Third-man. And Faulkner swish-and-misses the last ball. This over helped Lions somewhat. 12 off it.
GL 106/7 after 17 overs (J Faulkner 26 off 21 | P Kumar 3 off 5 || need 49 from 18 balls)
Faulkner has been too quiet tonight. But he tonks the last ball of the over, a full-toss on off-stump, over the Covers for four . Some life injected into the chase; the Lions haven't dozed off.
GL 99/7 after 16 overs (J Faulkner 19 off 18 | P Kumar 1 off 1 || need 56 from 24 balls)
Faulkner absolutely bludgeons a length ball straight for four , just missing Mohit Sharma's head. Breaks the monotony somewhat as the first cheer goes up since about a gazillion overs. Faulkner trying to muscle these balls now, but unable to find the boundary.
GL 87/7 after 15 overs (J Faulkner 10 off 14 | P Kumar 0 off 0 || need 68 from 30 balls)
The crowd has fizzled out thanks to the hat-trick. Things going along quietly at the moment. Something has to give. Faulkner and Kishan have to start going for it if they are to whittle the RRR down from 12.2 runs per over. But Ishan Kishan (27 from 24) now departs in an anti-climactic way, run-out ambling into the crease. A Strategic Timeout.
GL 82/6 after 14 overs (J Faulkner 7 off 11 | I Kishan 25 off 21 || need 73 from 36 balls)
Axar comes back for his final over. Can he do more damage here? But before he can, Kishan transforms into a right-hander and switch-hits a full-fledged pull for four over an unmanned Square-leg. Axar now beats Faulkner's bat, has him stumped, but looks like his toe was back in the crease. No parting shots from Axar Patel. But what a match-winning spell, if ever there was one — 4/21 at economy rate of 5.25.
GL 74/6 after 13 overs (need 81 from 42balls)
Kishan breaks the shackles here with a paddled four through Fine-leg. And 10 runs off that over somewhat relieve the rising pressure for Lions.
GL 64/6 after 12 overs (need 91 from 48 balls)
Great bowling changes by Vijay here. Captain Clever. Stoinis bowls a tight over here, and neither Faulkner nor Kishan can get anything away. Run-rate required now touching 12 almost.
GL 61/6 after 11 overs (J Faulkner 1 off 3 | I Kishan 10 off 11 || need 94 from 54 balls)
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
— Hitman Cricket (@HitmanCricket) >May 1, 2016
And Axar Patel gets the first hat-trick of the season! What are the chances? Disputable decision to give Jadeja (11 from 11) out caught-behind, but snick-o-meter vindicates umpire. That ball skidded off the track and rushed on to Jadeja. Great bowling, really. No gimmes.
GL 57/5 after 10 overs (R Jadeja 11 off 10 | I Kishan 7 off 9 || need 98 from 60 balls)
Maxwell has a bit of fun with the batsmen from Long-on, tosses the ball in front of him negligently, baiting them to run. They ran well this over.
GL 49/5 after 9 overs (R Jadeja 5 off 6 | I Kishan 6 off 7 || need 106 from 66 balls)
Gujarat gets a much-needed boundary off Kishan's outside-edge. And 7 runs come off that over. The required rate is climbing still. It's up at over nine-and-a-half an over now.
GL 42/5 after 8 overs (R Jadeja 3 off 3 | I Kishan 1 off 4 || need 113 from 72 balls)
Cariappa bowls a quick, tight over to the two new batsmen, Jadeja and Kishan. What a shockingly quick turnaround there has been over the past couple overs. Lions in big trouble now as the RRR stretches with no big-hitters but James Faulkner left to come.
GL 39/5 after 7 overs (R Jadeja 1 off 1 | I Kishan 0 off 0 || need 116 from 78 balls)
Axar Patel strikes. Once. Twice. And thrice! And big wickets. First, Dwayne Smith (15 from 18) departs trying to get under the ball, and gets it too high, and plays it into Long-off's hands. Then Karthik (2 from 4) plays outside the line and gets an inside-edge onto the stumps. And very next ball, Dwayne Bravo (0 from 1) get castled by a quicker delivery. That puts Axar on a hat-trick. And the champion dance comes out... from Axar. What. An. Over. Got a wicket for every run he gave away.
GL 36/2 after 6 overs (D Smith 15 off 16 | D Karthik 0 off 0 || need 119 from 84 balls)
Now, Cariappa. Punjab's poor-man's version of Shivil Kaushik. Something of a mystery spinner, he is too. Bowls a great over for just 2 runs. Lions can't get bogged down here, although they are chasing a modest target.
GL 34/2 after 5 overs (D Smith 14 off 12 || need 121 from 90 balls)
Raina slurps at a short one and helps it fine over Fine-leg for six . But Mohit comes right back and bowls Raina (18 from 15) with a straight one that was asking to be swiped at. And the captain falls.
GL 24/1 after 4 overs (D Smith 12 off 10 | S Raina 12 off 11 || need 131 from 96 balls)
Axar Patel is bowling now as Vijay shuffles the attack. What a shot by Suresh Raina here. He steps out, gets to pitch of the ball, and leaves himself room enough to drive the ball crisply through Extra Cover for four .
GL 18/1 after 3 overs (D Smith 11 off 8 | S Raina 5 off 7 || need 137 from 102 balls)
Marcus Stoinis is into the attack now. He bowls medium pace, we believe. And after facing three good balls, Raina bunts a really very slow delivery away for four through Midwicket.
GL 14/1 after 2 overs (D Smith 11 off 8 | S Raina 1 off 1 || need 141 from 108 balls)
This is Brendon McCullum's sixth failure vs >#KXIP in 11 >#IPL innings. This is also his first failure in his last 5 inn. this IPL. >#GLvKXIP
— Impact Index Cricket (@Impact_Index) >May 1, 2016
Mohit Sharma strikes! It's the big one. Baz McCullum (1 from 3) tries to move away to cut a good-length ball on the off-side, and is castled after it cuts back into him. Great over to begin with.
GL 11/0 after 1 over (D Smith 10 off 6 | B McCullum 0 off 0 || need 144 from 114 balls)
Sandeep Sharma begins with a loosener down leg-side for a wide. And Dwayne Smith capitalises the very next ball by clunking a good-length delivery for four on the up through Cover. And then swats a short ball — crisp as Lays — into the stands beyond Midwicket for six . Ominous start this, from the Kings XI perspective. 11 runs off that first over.
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So, a very disappointing finish for Kings XI Punjab, who were going at 10 an over till the 8th over. Captain Murali Vijay led from the front with a strokeful fifty alongside opening partner Marcus Stoinis, who looked attacking before he attacked once too often. Then, Shivil Kaushik happened. The batsmen were bamboozled by his uncanny chinaman action and frigid off-stump line. Glenn Maxwell was given out even though the snick-o-meter disagreed with the on-field umpire. David Miller played an unburdened innings and Wriddhiman Saha gave him solid company, but Dwayne Bravo's slow deception ran through the Kings at the death before Praveen Kumar cleaned them up to stomp out any last-over fireworks.
On the whole, the target of 155 will not inspire any terror in the Lions' ranks. And Kings XI best get a good start against the demolishing Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith if they stand an outside chance to defend this meagre target and stay in the tournament.
>@TheGujaratLions>@KeshavBansal08 amazing fielding and bowling well done keep going
— Praiselin Kanaga (@PraiselinKanaga) >May 1, 2016
KXIP 154 all out after 19.5 overs
And it's a wicket parade here at the death for KXIP. Mohit Sharma (1 from 2) is bowled by Praveen Kumar and Sandeep Sharma must try to last 3 deliveries or get Punjab to at least 155. Nope. Not happening. Kumar bowls an impossible line around the wicket to the right-hander Cariappa (1 from 3) and cracks open the woodwork. And that's one heck of a collapse.
KXIP 151/8 after 19 overs (M Sharma 0 off 0 | K Cariappa 0 off 1)
KXIP fans right now
And now, Axar Patel (0 from 2) is sent back trying to push the score over the 170 mark. Deceived by Bravo, there. Now, Saha (33 from 19) helps himself to a four through Fine-leg, before being done in by another slow dipper from Bravo that castles him.
KXIP 145/6 after 18 overs (W Saha 27 off 16 | A Patel 0 off 0)
Miller (31 from 27) now holes out at Long-on as Kulkarni delivers a smart ball at the death, slightly short and wide.
KXIP 137/5 after 17 overs (W Saha 21 off 12 | D Miller 29 off 25)
Saha steps out and flashes, gets a thick edge through Third-man over the slips for four . Another run-out referall, and Saha is safe. And Bravo is still blowing bubbles at the batsmen, not giving any scope for shot-making. Oops, spoke too soon. Saha now clouts a short ball over the Covers for four .
KXIP 123/5 after 16 overs (W Saha 10 off 8 | D Miller 26 off 23)
Miller and Saha have to get a move on now if they are to make at least 170-odd. And they do. Miller caresses Faulkner through Square-leg for four and then Saha sends an outside-edge through Third-man for another four . An appeal for run-out goes a-begging as Miller makes it back for two off the last ball. Great running today by Miller.
KXIP 110/5 after 15 overs (W Saha 4 off 5 | D Miller 19 off 20)
And Bravo bowls an entire over of slower deliveries. So, one more over of spin to follow Kaushik's, that was, then? 5 runs off it. And a nice low-five shared by Bravo and Miller.
KXIP 104/5 after 14 overs (W Saha 1 off 1 | D Miller 16 off 18)
Murali Vijay (55 from 41) will not be there to finish the innings. Kaushik strikes again. Bowls that tantalisingly line outside off and induces a top-edge from Vijay's slog-sweep and Bravo does the champion dance on the Midwicket boundary. And that's Kaushik's 4 overs. A remarkable one — 3/20 at an economy rate of 5.00. A lot of Kaushik's deliveries are mild googlies, thankfully. I couldn't stomach a left-armer turning it into the right-hander. Now, Miller, relieved of captaincy and captain's support, must take on the mantle of scoring.
KXIP 100/4 after 13 overs (M Vijay 55 off 40 | D Miller 13 off 14)
James Faulkner into the attack now. Bowls a quiet over for just six runs. Great to see Vijay applaud Miller's commitment after he dives to make his ground.
KXIP 94/4 after 12 overs (M Vijay 51 off 36 | D Miller 11 off 12)
Oh lord. Kaushik is still in the attack. His line is predictably on and outside off-stump. How he aims there so accurately with his arm shooting out like a chameleon's tongue is beyond me. But Vijay manages to cut him fine for four through Third-man, and reaches his half-century. Been quite a Captain's Knock already. Can he continue on and help Kings XI overcome the mid-innings flutter?
KXIP 86/4 after 11 overs (M Vijay 46 off 33 | D Miller 9 off 9)
Now, Dwayne Bravo comes in. More deceptive bowling to come here, for sure. Begins with a roll-of-the-wrist slower delivery. Then, follows it up with a quick bouncer that hurries Miller into a cramped pull. But the tight grip is lost as Miller converts a slow yorker into a full-toss and touches it for four through Fine-leg. 8 from the over.
KXIP 78/4 after 10 overs (M Vijay 43 off 31 | D Miller 3 off 5)
Miller plays out the hat-trick ball with an inside-edge onto the boot. Sad for Kaushik. And a quiet over passes with the batsmen trying to come to terms with the fact that a stuck water-sprinkler seems to be chucking cricket balls at them.
KXIP 74/4 after 9 overs (M Vijay 42 off 29 | D Miller 1 off 1)
Oh dear. Gurkeerat Singh (0 from 3) is the next one to go, run out. And the Strategic Timeout comes up to give Kings XI some time to catch their breath from all the gratuitous collapsing. Miller is in now, and gets off the mark with a soft push through Mid-on.
KXIP 70/3 after 8 overs (M Vijay 39 off 27 | G Singh 0 off 0)
Now the Chinaman from Gujarat — Shivil Kaushik — is here to entertain. What a sight he is. I am scared, mesmerised and disoriented at the same time when I watch him deliver — no, squirt — the ball. And he confuses Shaun Marsh (1 from 3) too, who has now chipped it tamely to Suresh Raina at Short-Midwicket. And Glenn Maxwell (0 from 1) comes in, flails a cut and walks back bemusedly as the umpire raises his finger for caught-behind. What an over for Kaushik, who ends with a hat-trick ball coming up next over. Kings XI's awesome start has been cut back quite some.
KXIP 67/1 after 7 overs (M Vijay 37 off 24 | S Marsh 0 off 1)
Stoinis is getting his kicks from abandoning the crease, here. Now he wallops Jadeja past the Long-on fielder for four . And now, Stoinis (27 from 17) is gone. He was stepping out once too often, and Jadeja bowls a clever off-break slightly quicker and wider, gets past Stoinis's flailing bat and Karthik whips the bails off even as the batsman looks behind nonplussed.
KXIP 59/0 after 6 overs (M Vijay 35 off 22 | M Stoinis 22 off 14)
Stoinis continues attacking. Steps out to a short pacey ball from Kulkarni and pulls it with a great last-second adjustment to the Midwicket boundary for four . 8 runs off the over.
KXIP 51/0 after 5 overs (M Vijay 31 off 18 | M Stoinis 17 off 12)
And with the introduction of spin in the form of Ravindra Jadeja, Stoinis finally gets going. Steps out like a caged beast newly freed and rocks a six over Long-on. He has quite a high backlift that had hindered him against pace. But Jadeja's short, slow half-tracker is a different story. And then he cuts beautifully past Backward Point to end the over with a four . Great start by Kings XI and they're maintaining the run-rate at around 10 here. Without sounding horribly premature, is this finally going to be Kings XI's day?
KXIP 34/0 after 4 overs (M Vijay 31 off 17 | M Stoinis 3 off 7)
Kulkarni is bowling well to Stoinis, keeping him quiet. But he gets the treatment from Vijay, who has cracked it through Cover once again for a four . Kulkarni gets some movement off the deck to Stoinis.
KXIP 26/0 after 3 overs (M Vijay 24 off 14 | M Stoinis 2 off 4)
And Vijay is feeding off of his new role, here. Smacks a four straight over Kumar's head, lofts another four in the same direction, and then flicks it for a third four through Square-leg.
KXIP 13/0 after 2 overs (M Vijay 12 off 9 | M Stoinis 1 off 3)
Dhawal Kulkarni bowls a nice over with movement and bounce. Stoinis was beaten for pace a couple times there.
KXIP 9/0 after 1 over (M Vijay 9 off 5 | M Stoinis 0 off 1)
Marcus Stoinis is opening with captain Vijay. What is the Western Australian all-rounder like? He has a T20 strike rate of 125. But first, Vijay has thumped Praveen Kumar for a characteristic four on the up through Cover.
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So, this is Gujarat Lions today:
DR Smith, BB McCullum, SK Raina*, KD Karthik†, DJ Bravo, RA Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, JP Faulkner, P Kumar, DS Kulkarni, S Kaushik
And Kings XI Punjab has made a couple changes; including dropping an in-form Manan Vohra for untested Marcus Stoinis.
M Vijay*, SE Marsh, DA Miller, GJ Maxwell, Gurkeerat Singh, WP Saha†, AR Patel, MP Stoinis, KC Cariappa, MM Sharma, Sandeep Sharma
1532 hrs | Gujarat Lions wins the toss and elects to bowl . Why not? Gujarat have been great at chasing so far what with Baz and Dwayne shooting from the hip right upfront. Have bagged four out of five chases. Sad for David Miller, taken off captaincy after the shortest and most painful of stints. But hey, Vijay seems as confident as anyone and hopefully, now Miller's batting form might improve after his being relieved of captaincy.
Gujarat Lions have played like champions this tournament. And that label has been painfully reinforced by Dwayne Bravo's after-victory dance routine. Having won six of their seven matches in this tournament, this fledgling IPL franchise side go into this game with a four-point lead at the top.
On the other hand, the Kings XI Punjab side has totted up five losses in six games. David Miller's head has rolled for this sort of incompetence. Not his place in the side. Just the captaincy, which will now be taken up by Murali Vijay.
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Gujarat Lions Squad
SK Raina*, S Ladda, AD Nath, Amit Mishra, DJ Bravo, P Dogra, ER Dwivedi, JP Faulkner, AJ Finch, Ishan Kishan, RA Jadeja, SB Jakati, KD Karthik, S Kaushik, DS Kulkarni, P Kumar, BB McCullum, PJ Sangwan, JN Shah, UA Sharma, DR Smith, DW Steyn, PV Tambe, AJ Tye
Kings XI Punjab Squad
M Vijay*, KJ Abbott, Anureet Singh, Armaan Jaffer, F Behardien, KC Cariappa, R Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh, MG Johnson, SE Marsh, GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, NS Naik, AR Patel, WP Saha, P Sahu, Sandeep Sharma, MM Sharma, MP Stoinis, Swapnil Singh, SN Thakur, M Vohra
