Kings XI Punjab captain David Miller states the obvious when he says everything clicked for his team tonight. But while giving credit to Maxwell, Murali Vijay and Vohra, he acknowledges that the middle-overs batting needs some fine-tuning.
Manan Vohra is Man of the Match and all he can do is rue getting out with a poor shot.
And what Dhoni tried to convert into a close game for Rising Pune Supergiants with those last-minute wickets turned into an explosive finish for Kings XI Punjab thanks to Glenn Maxwell's nerveless hitting. Supergiants never had the runs to defend on this wicket, true. But the two Ashwins had mounted a stout defence and almost came good towards the end. Not quite, though.
After 17.4 overs Punjab 153/4 (win by 6 wickets)
And Maxwell has done it in style here. Negotiates a yorker, survives a skier, and then slaps the winning runs through extra cover.
After seventeen overs: Punjab 143/4 (need 9 from 12)
Maxwell is now confident enough to bring his forearms into play. That's when you know he's in his element. Plays a strong-arm sweep-jab through square-leg, before slogging a wild six over long-on. R Ashwin was Dhoni's last throw of the dice. The make-or-break over has turned break for RPS.
After seventeen overs: Punjab 131/4 (need 22 from 18)
M Ashwin now invites the big shot by tossing it up, Miller obliges with the toe of his bat pointing skywards, and Kevin Pietersen receives it at the boundary with safe hands. Is RPS sneaking in a backdoor win here? I don't think so , says Maxwell, and bashes the flattest-swept six you'll ever see over midwicket, before following it up with a slash of a boundary through the covers.
After sixteen overs: Punjab 118/3 (need 35 from 24)
Perera taking advantage of Maxwell's lack of form and sense of responsibility. Bowling a great line too, in any case, and making the Aussie hop like a Kangaroo. Miller tries to muscle a couple away, but Pune's boundary patrol is much better than the inner cordon.
After fifteen overs: Punjab 112/3 (need 41 from 30)
And Marsh plays a nothing shot here to get out to a slow drifter from M Ashwin. Why would you try to glance a straight ball square? But Vijay goes on playing his shots, getting to his fifty with a violent pull for six over midwicket. And hello! Vijay out the very next ball, trying to cut square on the offside, getting only a feather edge to Dhoni. Murugan Ashwin pulling it back here, giving RPS a peek back into the game.
After fourteen overs: Punjab 103/1 (need 50 from 36)
Turn sighted, Ravichandran Ashwin comes back in to bowl to the left-handed Marsh with a slip in place. Flighting it nicely too. Just the three runs from the over.
After thirteen overs: Punjab 100 for no loss (need 53 from 42)
And first breakthrough for Pune here, courtesy Ankit Sharma. And Vohra is gone to a straight delivery, playing for the turn he saw last over from M Ashwin. Shaun Marsh comes in.
After twelve overs: Punjab 96 for no loss (need 57 from 48)
Another good over for Kings XI. Vohra reaches his half-century. But what? A couple of balls turned quite a bit there. Should watch for that.
After eleven overs: Punjab 86 for no loss (need 67 from 54)
Thisara Perera took four balls to slip in a dot. The first three were creamed on both sides of the wicket by Vohra, even though there was some swing. Dhoni is shuffling his bowlers like crazy, but nothing seems to be clicking.
First and last IPL 9 game for Thisara Perera. >#KXIPvRPS>#IPL
— Aneesh Chandoke (@AneeshChandoke) >April 17, 2016
After ten overs: Punjab 71 for no loss
Now, Irfan Pathan gets into the attack with some characteristic inswing. But soon, goes back to a shortish length and gets whipped through Backward Point.
After nine overs: Punjab 64 for no loss
After unsuccessfully trying to slog a couple almighty blows, Vohra plays such a delicate glance, and Dhoni turns momentarily into a footballer, sticking a leg out and parrying it.
After eight overs: Punjab 58 for no loss
Murugan Ashwin bowls flat and effectively, keeping the over down to just 4.
After seven overs: Punjab 54 for no loss
Ankit Sharma improves this time, pitching it up and bowling close to the stumps. Nine better than the 13-run first over.
After six overs: Punjab 50 for no loss
R. Ashwin continues. Vijay on strike. Ashwin is bowling to his fielders. Vohra on strike after the single from Vijay. Vohra takes another single. Vijay cuts through the point fielder for a boundary. just a bit short and Vijay leaps into it.
After five overs: Punjab 43 for no loss
Ishant continues. Vijay on strike. takes a single off the second ball. Can Pune strike two or three wickets quickly to put pressure on the Kings XI batsmen? Another good slower one from Ishant. Ishant is mixing his deliveries. Vohra smashes it over mid-off for a boundary. Dhoni should now change his tactics. excellent deft touch and the ball races to the boundary. it is two in two for Vohra. Two expensive overs from Ishant. another excellent shot from Vohra and it is another boundary to end the over.
After four overs: Punjab 30 for no loss
R. Ashwin into the attack. Vohra takes a single and Vijay to face R. Ashwin. Dhoni depends on his ace spinner in the power play. Good over so far from R. Ashwin. four runs from this over.
After three overs: Punjab 26 for no loss
Ishant Sharma continues. Vijay on strike. some excellent bowling from Ishant. another excellent delivery from Ishant. Vijay smashes the ball over mid-wicket for another boundary. Vijay is on the move now. Elegant shots from him using the new ball to the fullest possible use. excellent slower one from Ishant. Beautiful shot from Vijay and first six of the match.
After two overs: Punjab 16 for no loss
Ankit Sharma into the attack. Vijay flicks straight to the fielder. again straight to the fielder. a wide ball. jumps down the track and it is a boundary for Vijay. another wide. Vijay lifts the ball over the mid-off and it is a boundary. A great player of spin bowling, Vijay starts to open his arms. Vohra flicks and take two runs.
After one over: Punjab 3 for no loss
Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra are out in the middle. Ishant to open the bowling. Vijay plays it straight to the fielder. flicks it but safe and no run. takes a single. Vohra on strike. flicked the ball lands safely in no-man land and two runs taken. excellent first over from Ishant.
The batsmen and fielders are out in the middle. Interesting match on the cards??!!
Can Dhoni's Rising Pune Supergiants pull this off? Having lost both the matches, Kings XI Punjab batsmen should have deliver. But will it be easy going for the Punjab batsmen? First six overs will make this match more interesting.
It would have been much bigger total but for some excellent bowling from Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma. Mohit Sharma bowled a brilliant last over to take two wickets that of Faf du Plessis and M.S. Dhoni and put the brakes on the Pune Supergiants.
The Kings XI Punjab bowling backed with some excellent fielding efforts surely have restricted Pune Supergiants. It is certainly 20+ short.
Some brilliant death bowling from Mohit Sharma helps >@lionsdenkxip restrict >@RPSupergiants to 152/7. Will it be enough for >#RPS ? >#KXIPvRPS
— The Gujarat Lions (@TheGujaratLions) >April 17, 2016
After the quick dismissals of Rahane and Pietersen, du Plessis and Smith played sensibly and took Rising Pune Supergiants to a respectable total against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.
Two Sharmas did well for KXIP Mohit Sharma 4-0-23-3 (ER 5.75) Sandeep Sharma 4-0-23-2 (ER 5.75) >#KXIPvRPS>#IPL2016
— Paramesh Sardesi (@sardesiparamesh) >April 17, 2016
One over to go. Twenty-odd runs?? Faf on strike, Mohit to bowl the last over. first ball, hits it straight in the air and Mohit completes a good catch. Pune 149 for 5. Dhoni on strike, Irfan Pathan is the new man. Mohit strikes by taking the big wicket of Dhoni. Pune 149 for 6. It is a hat-trick ball for Mohit. Irfan on strike.takes a single. It is 150 for Pune. three more balls to go. Fourth ball, Ashwin on strike, tries to reverse-sweep, misses it. Good over so far from Mohit. Two balls to go, takes a single. Last ball, Pathan is on strike. only a single and it is run-out. Pune 152 for 7.
After 19 overs: Pune 149 for 4
Two overs to go. 30-odd runs will put Pune in a strong position. Can Dhoni's magic work out today? Abbott to bowl his last over. Faf du Plessis smashes the first ball for a boundary, a good start to the over. second ball, play and miss. third ball, another beautiful shot and both takes two quick runs. fourth ball, another beautiful shot and takes a single. Fifth ball, Dhoni on strike, a huge roar from the crowd. takes a single, opens his account. Sixth ball, Faf takes a single and keeps the strike
After 18 overs: Pune 140 for 4.
Three overs to go. Smith is playing beautifully now. Mohit Sharma into the attack. Well bowled by Mohit and a leg-bye, beautiful slower one from Mohit. Faf on strike now, smashes the ball over mid-off for a boundary. Now Faf moves on. Smith on strike, clubbed and Axar Patel collects and two runs. nicely bowled, slower one, Smith tries to hit it out of the park but straight to David Miller. Pune 139 for 4. Dhoni is the new man. Faf to play the last ball of Mohit over.
After 17 overs: Pune 131 for 3
Dhoni should come in >#RPS>#RPSvKXIP>#KXIPvRPS>#IPL>#IPL2016
— SomG (@1neHope) >April 17, 2016
Four overs to go. 10 runs would take them to 150+. Can Pune score more? Abbott into the attack. Smith on strike. beautiful shot and the ball races to the boundary. another excellent shot this time on the leg side another boundary. It is back-to-back boundaries for Smith. Pune tries to move on. excellent fielding from the point fielder Shaun Marsh and no run. Kings XI fielders are putting great efforts. Smith smashes the full toss to another boundary. three boundaries in this over. A good over so far for Pune. Smith takes two runs, excellent running between the wickets. Smith completes 100 runs in IPL. Shaun Marsh fields and shy at the stumps, a single.
After 16 overs: Pune 116 for 3.
Five overs to go. How much Pune will score? Sahu continues. excellent bowling from the spinners. straight down the ground and takes a single. Faf smashes the next down the ground, miscued it and only a single. Smith takes two runs. flicks and a good save by Sandeep Sharma, only a single.
After 15 overs: Pune 109 for 3
Six overs to go. Dhoni here would do wonders for Pune. These two batsmen have to step the scoring rate. Axar continues. and it is fifty for Faf du Plessis. Smither smashes the ball over mid-wicket for boundary. No sixes so far in Pune innings. takes two quick runs.
. >@faf1307 makes it to 50! Shabash re pora! >#IPL2016>#KXIPvRPS
— The Super Punekar (@punekar) >April 17, 2016
After 14 overs: Pune 101 for 3.
Sahu continues. Smith smashes the ball for a boundary after a brief lull. takes a single off the next ball. Good over so far for Pune. Swept and another single. Faf on 48. It is 100 for Pune. Faf takes a single
After 13 overs: Pune 92 for 3. It is strategic time-out
Eight overs to go. Axar Patel into the attack. Faf and Smith take two singles from two balls. quick running between the wickets and two runs. some excellent bowling from the spinners.
After 12 overs: Pune 87 for 3.
Nine overs to go. Pradeep Sahu into the attack. Smith takes a single. Are boundaries drying up? Takes two quick runs, good running between the wickets, both are quick. Faf takes another single. good over and five runs from it
After 11 overs: Pune 82 for 3.
Sandeep Sharma into the attack. Perera smashes straight to the mid-off and Mohit takes a simple catch. Pune 76 for 3. Steve Smith is the new man in. Can these two play a long innings and bring Pune a reasonable total? Faf takes a single. Smith faces his first ball, wide ball. Smith is off the mark with a single. only four singles in this over. excellent over from Sandeep and a wicket so far. Faf should play till the end.
After 10 overs: Pune 76 for 2.
Glenn Maxwell into the attack. Perera tries to cut but no run. cuts the next ball and excellent fielding at point, one run. Faf on strike. a beautiful shot but only for a single. Perera tries to cut but could not free his arms. excellent bowling from Maxwell. Three runs from this over. Is the pitch turning?
After nine overs: Pune 73 for 2. It is strategic time-out
Thisara Perara is the new man. Mohit Sharma continues. Faf takes a single and Perara face his first ball of this IPL. Smashes the first ball to the boundary, a short ball and Perera pounces on it and smashes it through mid-wicket. Perera tries to lift the ball over mid-off and it is only a single. another single from Faf. Perera takes a single
After eight overs: Pune 65 for 2
Abbott brought back into the attack. full toss and Faf takes two runs, wide to follow. tried to play a scoop shot and a boundary off the shoulder, it is leg byes. this time he scoops and the another boundary. Faf in full flow, innovating shots in the middle. Again tries to scoop, but misses it. Good over for Pune. Excellent catch at mid-wicket by Vohra and Pietersen is out. Pune 65 for 2
After seven overs: Pune 53 for 1
Mohit Sharma into the attack. Kevin Pietersen on strike. excellent bouncer to start with. Pietersen completes 1000 runs in IPL and it is fifty for Pune. quick single, good running between the wickets. Excellent over so far from Mohit. excellent yorkder, Pietersen takes a single. excellent shot and equally good over. four from it
KP, 50th batsman to reach 1000 runs in >@IPL>#IPL9>#IPL2016
— Mohammed Faris (@kmFariskm) >April 17, 2016
After six overs: Pune 49 for 1
Pradeep Sahu into the attack. Faf and Pietersen had a mild misunderstanding, no problem. smashes straight but excellent fielding by David Miller. Miller saved a certain boundary. Faf takes a single. Good over so far. Pietersen tries to flick and leg bye. smashes the ball straight and Faf takes a boundary. excellent shot. a wide. down the track and finishes the over with a boundary.
Last over of the powerplay. Can Pune reach 50?
Just In :- Knee injury rules Lasith Malinga out of IPL 2016 & No word on replacement yet. >pic.twitter.com/gCsFxYLBIU
— Rajesh Khilare (@Cricrajeshpk) >April 17, 2016
After five overs: Pune 38 for 1
Sandeep continues. A beautiful shot from Faf down the ground and it is another boundary, flicks and takes a single. another flick straight to the fielder in fine-leg and no run. takes a quick single. Faf scoops the ball over the keeper and the ball races to the boundary. second boundary in this over. takes a single.
After four overs: Pune 27 for 1
It is Axar Patel into the attack. Pietersen on strike, good delivery to start with. flicks the next ball and the ball races to the boundary. smashes the next ball to another boundary. It's two in two for Pietersen. Takes a single and it is Faf on strike. Another boundary this time from Faf. quite expensive from Axar. three boundaries in this over so far. 14 runs in this over.
After three overs: Pune 13 for 1
Sandeep Sharma continues. A very good ball and removes Ajinkya Rahane. It is the first break for Punjab. Pune 10 for 1. Kevin Pietersen is the new man in. Off the mark straightaway. It's now Faf and Pietersen. Good over so far from Sandeep.
After two overs: Pune 10 for no loss
Faf du Plessis on strike. Kyle Abbott shares the new ball. good shot, takes a single and off the mark. Rahane on strike, good flick and the ball races to the boundary. good comeback balls from Abbott. Rahane takes a quick single.
After first over: Pune 4 for no loss
Faf du Plessis, man in form and Ajinkya Rahane are out in the middle. Rahane to face the first ball. Sandeep Sharma to open the bowling. excellent swing from Sandeep, Rahane edges on to his pads. good start. excellent delivery. Three dot balls. Good start by Sandeep Sharma. excellent drive from Rahane and it is a boundary to start with. appeal for LBW, no says umpire. another lovely delivery to end the over.
The match is about to begin with umpires, players and Supergiants openers are out in the middle.
Kevin Pietersen got starts in Pune's first two matches and today his team will hope he goes on to make a big one. He has two fifty-plus IPL scores in Mohali, in as many matches.
All set for the toss. M.S. Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Sunday,
Supergiants captain Dhoni says "Mitchell Marsh, RP Singh and Rajat Bhatia are out for Thisara Perera, Irfan Pathan and Ankit Sharma."
Great news! >@IrfanPathan in today's >@RPSupergiants squad. At last >@msdhoni was forced to give him chance by >#PathanFans .. KUDOS!! >#IPL2016
— Afaan Fuzz (@afaanfuzz) >April 17, 2016
Kyle Abbott comes in for Mitchell Johnson for Kings XI
The very best of luck to the three debutant >#SuperGiants ! >@IrfanPathan , >@PereraThisara & Ankit Sharma! Have an awesome game! >#BeASuperGiant
— Pune Supergiants (@RPSupergiants) >April 17, 2016
The playing XI
Kings XI Punjab
Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, David Miller (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohit Sharma, Kyle Abbott, Pradeep Sahu, Sandeep Sharma
Rising Pune Supergiants
Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, M.S. Dhoni (captain), Thisara Perera, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ankit Sharma, M. Ashwin
The most successful ODI and T20 captain, M.S. Dhoni, has to deliver against Kings XI Punjab.
The RPS batting has depth with Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen and M.S. Dhoni. Dhoni might opt for Albie Morkel over Mitchell Marsh. Morkel can be a handy batsman lower down the order.
Kings XI Punjab are a strong batting outfit with Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra at the top followed by some power-hitters like David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh and Saha. However, despite a decent score against the Gujarat Lions in the first match, their bowlers failed to outwith the rampaging Aaron Finch.
