IPL 2018, KXIP vs SRH: Hits and Misses
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) broke the trend of opting to field first after winning the toss as Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and surprised everybody by opting to bat first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their third home game.
Against a strong SRH bowling attack, KXIP were off to a sedate start as they scored just 13 in their first three overs.
But Chris Gayle started to open the shoulders and despite losing KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, the big Jamaican was on the attack.
He struck the first hundred of this season IPL and sent the ball to all corners of the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
After Gayle’s 104 and cameos from Karun Nair and Aaron Finch, KXIP ended with 193.
Chasing a huge score, SRH were dealt with a massive blow as Shikhar Dhawan had to retire hurt after being struck just below the left elbow.
Wriddhiman Saha’s form didn’t improve as he was dismissed in the second over. Yusuf Pathan was promoted but he failed as well.
Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey tried to help SRH come back in the game, but 193 was always going to be a tough chase.
With this 15-run victory, KXIP have gone up to six points and are third on the points table.
#5 Hit: Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye hasn’t quite been noticed in this season. Tye had a dream debut where he took a hat-trick and a fifer last year.
He was considered as one of the better death bowlers and hence, he was bought by KXIP for Rs 7.2 crore in the auction this year.
Tye has been a little expensive this season but he has picked up some key wickets. With SRH chasing 194 in this game, Tye kept things very tidy.
He bowled with very good control and used his variations to great effect. He finished with figures of 2/23 in four overs and was KXIP’s best bowler. He got the wickets of Williamson and Deepak Hooda and played a big role in helping Punjab restrict SRH to 178.