IPL 6: Match 11 - KXIP vs CSK - Flops of the Day

There are fewer contests which are more one-sided than ones where the margin for victory is 10-wickets. More so in the shortest version of the game where matches, by default, run close. CSK’s same margin of win over KXIP in Mohali highlights the domination asserted by the men in yellow. They were in control of the match all the time except for a period of time when David Hussey and Gurkeerat Singh strung together a 50-run partnership.

Let’s have a look at the non-performers of the match who played a significantly, insignificant role:

Adam Gilchrist – Failed with gloves – both batting and keeping:

He used to be a feared batsman in his glory days. Sadly, those days are now gone and breathtaking performances, for which he was well-known, are witnessed intermittently. Yesterday was unfortunately, not one of those days. He started positively with two fours and raced to 9 off 5 balls. He then glanced one from Nannes on his pads to Michael Hussey at short fine leg who grabbed the opportunity with both hands, literally. Even while he donned the keeping gloves, he missed a stumping chance as Vijay danced down the track to Piyush Chawla and missed the ball. Glichrist did, however, break the stumps after recollecting the ball off the turf but it was too late then.

Azhar Mahmood – all-round disappointment:

He has been selected in this squad since he is a T20 specialist who plies his trade all across the globe from England to New Zealand. And he is, generally, a bankable player. But this was one of his forgettable days in office as he failed to make a mark with the bat, scoring just 8 runs off 7 balls. Even his subtle and intelligent variations couldn’t save the day for his team as he was taken for 34 runs in his spell of 4 overs. The only positive for him was that he can only improve from here.

The KXIP spirit – dampened and uninspiring:

It was a day of collective failure for KXIP. None of the batsmen, save for Hussey and Gurkeerat, could stay on the crease for more than 30 deliveries. Even for the time that they stayed, none of the batsmen imposed themselves in the middle. A total of 138 on the board on a track as good as Mohali’s was always going to be a challenge to defend. Even then, you’d expect teams to put up a fight. But neither was their bowling incisive nor their fielding impressive. Chawla missed a  relatively simple caught and bowled chance from Michael Hussey and Gilchrist missed a stumping chance off the very next delivery that could have seen the back of Murali Vijay. That both the batsmen stayed till the end to inflict a humiliating loss would have only dampened their spirit further.