New Delhi:
Kings XI Punjab defeated high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs in the Indian Premier League at Mohali on Thursday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad tasted defeat for the first time in the season, whereas Kings XI Punjab continued their bright start.
It was a clash of two excellent squads, with Hyderabad being lauded as the best bowling side of the tournament and Punjab as one of the best batting sides.
Chris Gayle scored a magnificient century, while Karun Nair supported him brilliantly. However, SRH's batting failed to click after early injury to Shikhar Dhawan.
Interesting Face off: Chris Gayle vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Nine innings, 220 runs, Avg 24.44, SR 151.72, One Half Century.
# Highlights:
# Chris Gayle - Player of the Match: "I'm always determined. I always give it my all for the franchise I represent. A lot of people might say that Chris has a lot to prove. I think Sehwag has saved IPL by picking me. I think people got their money's worth. The conditions are always tricky, so adjusting is key. Like I said, I am glad to get a hundred today. Going to miss this wicket.
# Ashwin: "I think it was a complete performance. We won the toss and batted well. Would have liked to have given away 10 runs lesser for the NRR. It was a good wicket, Chris batted well. It was more about who we are bowling against. Mohit vs Dhawan was a match-up, so we had to go for that. It was pleasing to see the crowd today. We have never seen that in Mohali. There are players like these to entertain, that's why they're turning up. Chris just punches a back of a length delivery out of the ground -- that's the difference between him and other batsmen."
# Williamson: Hats off to Chris (Gayle). He was at his best. It really wasn't a free-flowing wicket. Fantastic hundred, I think they deserved the win. Haven't spoken to Dhawan yet on the injury. They bowled very well and used the big boundaries. We have to learn and move on to the next game. We want to execute a pattern in play, we weren't up to the mark tonight.
# Kings XI Punjab won by 15 runs, first defeat of the campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
# 19.4 Overs: SIX! Shakib with the second one. SRH 176/4
# 19.3 Overs: SIX! Shakib with a huuuugggee one. SRH 170/4
# 18.2 Overs: SIX! Pandey goes big. 37 ball fifty for Pandey. SRH 154/4
# 17.2 Overs: FOUR! Beamer and umpire calls it a NO BALL! SRH 140/4
# 16.4 Overs: OUT! Hooda wanted to go big but skied it and Manoj Tiwary takes a dolly. Deepak Hooda c (sub)Manoj Tiwary b Andrew Tye 5(5) SRH 133/4
# 14.2 Overs: OUT! Big blow for SRH, Williamson departs. Williamson c Finch b Andrew Tye 54(41) SRH 113/3
# 14.1 Overs: FOUR! Poor delivery by Tye and Williamson pulls it for boundary. SRH 113/3
# 13.4 Overs: SIX! Williamson waits for the ball and clears the boundary with ease. SRH 108/2
# 12.6 Overs: FOUR! Excellent placement towards backward point there by Pandey. SRH 96/2
# Required Run Rate is now over 14 per over.
# 12.2 Overs: FOUR! Pandey thrashes it. Brutal hit. SRH 88/2
# 8.1 Overs: SIX! Williamson with a biiiiiig one! Thats monstrous. SRH 63/2
# 6.5 Overs: FOUR! A much needed boundary for Hyderabad. Williamson steps out and dispatches the ball! SRH 51/2
# 4.5 Overs: OUT! Yusuf walks back. Failed to make the most of his chances. Y Pathan b Mohit Sharma 19(13)
# 4.1 Overs: FOUR! Slapped away by Yusuf, is today his day? SRH 32/1
# 3.4 Overs: FOUR! Yusuf flicks it away beautifully. SRH 28/1
# 1.6 Overs: FOUR! Yusuf just clears the mid off fielder. SRH 18/1
# 1.5 Overs: OUT! Saha departs. Saha b Mohit Sharma 6(7) SRH 14/1
# Sunrisers Hyderabad need 194 runs to win
# 19.4 Overs: SIX! Aaron Finch hits it straight to the sight screen. Not Rashid Khan's day. KXIP 191/3
# 18.2 Overs: Gayle completes his HUNDRED!
# 17.6 Overs: SIX! Stand and deliver show by Gayle, he moves to 99 now.. KXIP 174/3
# 17.4 Overs: OUT! Nair departs, Knuckle ball worked for Bhuvi there. Nair c Dhawan b Bhuvneshwar 31(21) KXIP 168/3
# 16.4 Overs: FOUR! Nair is playing a perfect support role. KXIP 164/2
# 16.2 Overs: SIX! oh boy! Gayle Gayle Gayle chants the stadium. KXIP 159/2
# 14.3 Overs: FOUR! Karun Nair is following the footsteps of Gayle. KXIP 141/2
# 14.2 Overs: FOUR! Placed it to perfection, Karun Nair joins the party. KXIP 137/2
# In the 14th Over, bowled by the mighty Rashid Khan, Chris Gayle has smacked him for 4 continuous sixes! Can you believe that? KXIP 131/2
# 11.5 Overs: SIX! BOOM! Gayle storm coming? KXIP 99/2
# 11.1 Overs: SIX! Manish Pandey at long off made a complete mess of it, but lovely effort though. KXIP 92/2
# 10.2 Overs: OUT! Agarwal could not perfect the placement and hands it straight to the fielder. Mayank Agarwal c Deepak Hooda b S Kaul 18(9) KXIP 83/2
# 9.4 Overs: SIX! Blasted away, Agarwal is enjoying his time. KXIP 81/1
# 9.1 Overs: FOUR! Inside out goes Agarwal. Superb placement. KXIP 73/1
# 8.3 Overs: FOUR! Misfield and Mayank Agarwal will take the boundary happily. KXIP 65/1
# 8.1 Overs: SIX! When Gayle steps out, you know the result. KXIP 60/1
# 7.5 Overs: OUT! Rahul departs, poor poor shot selection from him. Rashid strikes! Rahul lbw b Rashid Khan 18(21) KXIP 53/1
# 5.6 Overs: FOUR! Lofted it and one bounce to boundary. KXIP 49/0
# 5.5 Overs: FOUR! Perfect cover drive by Rahul. That timing! KXIP 45/0
# 4.5 Overs: SIX! Smashed over Long on! Gayle style. KXIP 37/0
# 4.2 Overs: SIX! Poor delivery by Rashid Khan and Gayle punishes it. KXIP 31/0
# 3.4 Overs: FOUR! CRUNCHED.. KXIP 24/0
# 3.3 Overs: SIX! Short ball by Jordan and Gayle thrashes it out of the park. KXIP 20/0
# 2.1 Overs: FOUR! Lovely flick by Rahul for a boundary. KXIP 12/0
# 1.2 Overs: FOUR! Leg byes and Punjab get its first boundary. KXIP 6/0
# KL Rahul and Chris Gayle will start the proceedings for KXIP, Bhuvaneshwar for SRH
# Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Chris Jordan
# Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Yuvraj Singh, Aaron Finch, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
# Kings XI Punjab have won the toss and have opted to bat
