Kings XI win by 23 runs
A change of guard worked wonders for Kings XI Punjab as they beat Gujarat Lions convincingly by 23 runs on Sunday in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Spinners ruled roost but a hat trick by Axar Patel, the first of IPL9, turned the game around as Gujarat floundered in their chase of a modest 155-run target at home in Rajkot.
Axar took four wickets in the space of five deliveries to derail the Gujarat line-up as they finished with 131 for nine in their 20 overs after Punjab were bowled out for 154, having suffered bouts of collapses themselves.
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Punjab had started strongly with new captain Murali Vijay taking over from the out-of-form David Miller. Vijay was the top scorer with 55 runs from 41 balls.
Openers Vijay and Marcus Stoinis (27) put on 65 runs before the latter was stumped trying to step put to Ravindra Jadeja. Chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik, playing in only his second game of IPL, then accounted for two big blows in Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell in as many deliveries and Gurkeerat Singh was run out.
Punjab were 100-for-five when Vijay was the third scalp for Kaushik, and some rearguard action from Miller (31) and Wridhiman Saha (33) pushed them past the 150 milestone as wickets continued to tumble. Kaushik finished with three for 20 runs.
Punjab’s mainstay bowler Mohit Sharma provided the early breakthroughs with two wickets, but Kings XI were not unduly troubled until Axar came on to bowl. He took three wickets in four balls of his second over – the seventh over of the innings – and then came back four overs later to pick his hat-trick wicket to send Gujarat off-track completely. His career-best T20 figures of four for 21 runs earned him man of the match.
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