Kings XI Punjab finally get the monkey off their back by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad for the first time in five attempts.
Also, Ravichandran Ashwin‘s side went on to show that SRH are beatable, as they clinch a couple of points over Williamson’s men with the help of a 15-run win.
Chris Gayle entertained the home crowd with his mega-knock which treated Mohali in their final match of the tournament, before the action shifts to Indore.
Here are the five game-changing moments.
Gayle Force hitting Mohali
The Universe Boss hit his 6th IPL ton and also his 21st in his T20 career, which are monumental figures when it comes to the shortest form of the game.
After going unsold for the second time in the IPL auctions until Punjab bought him in the third round, Gayle was sidelined for the first couple of matches.
However, a determined Gayle, struck a mammoth 104 off just 63 balls, in a knock which consisted of mind-boggling 11 sixes and a solitary boundary, to make a statement that he still is the best in the format, following his 63 against CSK.
Rashid Khan’s spell
Rashid Khan has been one of the most economical bowlers for the Sunrisers, apart from being the strike spinner in the two seasons he featured in.
But, the Afghan spinner was taken to the cleaners by Gayle and co. as he went for a massive 55 runs in his spell.
Gayle hit four consecutive sixes off a Rashid over, which led to the shoulders dropping in the SRH camp. The efficient bowling line up of SRH, which was the best in the tournament before the match, conceded 190+ at the Lions’ den.
Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt
Chasing a stiff target, it became essential that Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha put on a flying start in the powerplays. Dhawan has been in some rich form in the past couple of seasons.
Dhawan, unfortunately, faced only a single ball in the match which forced him to retire hurt.
This came in as a major blow for SRH, as the batting unit relies heavily on the crisp starts from the flamboyant southpaw.
Kane Williamson dismissal
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain, Kane Williamson, kept his side in the hunt with his fifth half-century in his IPL career.
The Kiwi anchored SRH’s reply, as he hit a 41-ball 54 which consisted of three boundaries and a six.
Just when he was looking to go into overdrive with the steeping required run-rate, SRH lost their skipper to the brilliance of Andrew Tye.
Tidy bowling from hosts
Apart from captain Ashwin and Mohit Sharma, all bowlers in Kings XI Punjab ended up with economical spells of bowling. Mujeeb Ur Rahman conceded only at the rate of 6.75 rpo.
While Andrew Tye and Barinder Sran choked the opponents with the high asking, conceding at the rate of around five rpo.