NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Kings XI Punjab batsmen complemented a fine display by their bowling colleagues as they scored an easy five-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils in their Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) match here today.
The KXIP bowlers restricted the Delhi side to a meagre 120 for seven after putting the home side in and then their batsmen chased down the target with three overs to spare in a match that produced few exciting moments for the almost full- house crowd at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium.
None of the visiting batsmen scored big but most of them made small contributions to chase down the small target. Last match hero, David Miller top-scored with an unbeaten 39-ball 34 while opener Mandeep Singh chipped in with a 15-ball 24.
KXIP’s run chase was built on the rollicking 44-run stand for the second wicket between Mandeep and Luke Pomersbach (18) from just 4.1 overs. Though KXIP lost two quick wickets after the initial burst, the small total meant that they romped home easily as they reached 121 for five in 17 overs.
KXIP’s second consecutive win today took them to eight points from seven matches to remain at fifth place in the table while Delhi languished at the bottom with their seventh loss in eight matches. Delhi will now need to win all their remaining matches to have a chance of making the knockouts.
It was, however, another bad day for Kings XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist who continued with his woeful form in the tournament. He failed yet again as he was dismissed by Irfan Pathan for just six in the third ball of his side’s run chase.
But the other opener, young Mandeep, continued from where he had left against Pune Warriors on Sunday, as he dealt in boundaries. He hit Ashish Nehra for three fours in successive balls in the second over and then gave the same treatment to Pathan with two boundaries in the next over as KXIP raced to 50 in the fifth over.
But two wickets — in the form of Pomersbach and Mandeep — in two balls suddenly led to the game coming to life as KXIP were reduced to 51 for three at the end of five overs.
Pomersbach failed to reach to the length of the Roelof van der Merwe delivery and was bowled while Mandeep could not regained his crease after backing out for a single with a bullet-like throw from David Warner breaking the wickets. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel