IPL 2019: How Kings XI Punjab stole a stunning 14-run win against Rajasthan Royals
Kings XI Punjab came back from jaws of defeat to win their IPL 2019 match against Rajasthan Royals played at Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur on Monday.
Rajasthan Royals captain Ajiyanka Rahane won the toss and decided to field first. Kings XI Punjab got off to the worst possible start as they lost the early wicket of KL Rahul for 4 runs in the 1st over.
Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal then took some time to settle; at the end of 6 overs, KXIP were 32 for 1.
After the power play overs, Gayle started smashing the Rajasthan Royals bowlers to all parts of the ground. Agarwal also played some lovely strokes before being dismissed for 22. Gayle and Agarwal had added 56 runs for the 2nd wicket.
Gayle continued plundering the bowlers to reach his fifty off 33 balls. Sarfaraz Khan also joined the party, playing some inventive shots to take the score beyond 100.
It took something special to dismiss Gayle as Rahul Tripathi produced a brilliant catch on the boundary. Gayle and Sarfaraz Khan had added 84 runs for the 3rd wicket.
Nicolas Pooran struggled to time the ball and was dismissed for 12 runs. But Sarfaraz with his brilliant shot-making and helped Kings XI Punjab post 184 for 4 in 20 overs.
Chasing the target of 185 runs to win, Rajasthan Royals openers Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler got the team off to a flying start. Buttler put the pressure on the Punjab bowlers with innovative strokes while Rahane stuck to the more conventional route.
At the end of 6 overs, RR was cruising at 64 for 0.
After the power play overs, Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin got the breakthrough by dismissing Rahane for 27. Buttler and Rahane had added 78 runs for the opening wicket.
Buttler reached his fifty off 29 balls and continued to play some aggressive strokes. But he soon became the first batsman to be 'Mankad-ed' in IPL history as Ashwin ran out him. He was dismissed for 69 off 43 balls.
Steve Smith and Sanju Samson then added 40 runs for the 3rd wicket. But Sam Curran brought Kings XI Punjab back into the game by taking both their wickets in the same over.
The Kings XI Punjab bowlers then picked wickets at regular intervals to help the visitors steal a remarkable win in their first match. The visitors won the match by 14 runs.
Brief scores: Kings XI Punjab 184 for 4 in 20 overs (Chris Gayle 79, Sarfaraz Khan 46*, Dhawal Kulkarni 1/30, K Gowtham 1/32) beat Rajasthan Royals 170 for 9 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 69, Sanju Samson 30, Sam Curran 2/52, Ankit Rajpoot 2/32, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/31) by 14 runs.
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