It was the first game for Kings XI Punjab at their original home ground i.e. Mohali stadium and they did not have a great homecoming as Punjab went on to lose their fifth game, to jeopardise their hopes of qualifying for the next round.
The home side had a steep chase in front of them. An important base was needed to get the job done and for once it looked like they have got the desired start when Martin Guptill, alone, was making runs for the team. Even before Vohra, his partner at the other end could understand what was going, Guptill was back in the pavilion after playing a cameo of 23 off just 11. Manan Vohra followed him along with Skipper Glenn Maxwell, who too failed and had a duck alongside his name. It seemed like Kings XI Punjab will face a downfall but there were two experienced batsmen were out there who had some job left.
England’s limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan and Australia’s Shaun Marsh then formed a pair which enlightened hopes a win for the side – which had a ponderous approach to chase the target erstwhile.
The duo shared 73 runs for the fourth wicket and also generated hopes of a win. They were looking dangerous out in the middle and had everything in their favour but Rashid Khan, the best bowler in this year’s IPL till now, dismissed Morgan in last over of his last spell to bag a big wicket.
Soon, Wriddhiman Saha walked behind him after being bowled by Siddharth Kaul – only after the bowler got treatment from Shaun Marsh – who was batting at the other end.
The equation came down to five overs with KXIP needing seventy runs. Marsh had to just go the highway and in order to follow his motive, the Aussie just went after a delivery which he elevated it up in the sky before it was safely deposited in hands of Deepak Hooda.
That wicket marked the end of the chase as the successive batsmen could just add runs 37 runs in totality.
The glaring difference between the two teams was the start as Sunrisers Hyderabad had a contrary start to what KXIP had.
The opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner weren’t having quick starts from past few matches and today they shrugged off the slow start and started hitting the ball right away. They were keeping the run-rate around 10 runs over.
Meanwhile, both were also increasing number of runs in their account as well and were showing no mercy on the bowlers. Mohit Sharma, the supreme bowler for Punjab, was welcomed wit 11 runs in his first over whereas Axar Patel too got the similar treatment as he gave way 17 runs in his first.
Nothing was going in Punjab’s way and then was the time when skipper Glenn Maxwell came back for another spell to dismissed SRH skipper and the big fish David Warner.
But the damage was already done as Warner had already produced 51 runs in 27 balls sharing 107 runs with Shikhar Dhawan. Skipper’s wicket did not slow down SRH’s playing style as Kane Williamson started on the same note where Warner left.
He shared 40 runs with Dhawan for in just 4.2 overs. Even after Dhawan’s dismissal, Williamson continued the task to keep the rate high. The 20 runs which he attracted from penultimate over of the innings from Ishant Sarma was the highlight of Hyderabad’s innings,
Riding on blistering show and power hitting of top three batsmen, the visiting sized finished on a high score of 207.
Chasing this total on any day was a difficult one and it proved to be as Kings XI Punjab failed to get the task done and lost the game by 26 runs.