Brief scores:
Kings XI Punjab 185/4 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 46, Chris Gayle 99; Jofra Archer 2-26, Ben Stokes 2-32)
lost to
Rajasthan Royals 186/3 in 17.3 overs (Ben Stokes 50, Sanju Samson 48) by seven wickets.
Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, some rotten luck and a lot of dew cast a shadow on Kings XI Punjab's fairytale as Rajasthan Royals brave-hearted a 186-run chase in the 50th clash of the Indian Premier League. Chris Gayle's six-studded 99 didn't bear fruit as KXIP now rest at the mercy of fellow contenders, their five-match winning streak now vanquished. The comprehensive victory nudged the pink brigade to fifth in the points table besides keeping them in fine fettle for the playoff race, given the NRR dynamics.
Stokes lends Rajasthan a shot in the arm
Ben Stokes struck like greased lightning during the PowerPlay, helping RR to 21 off the first two overs. Caught napping, KL Rahul pigeonholed spin into the fray in the fourth to jam the brakes on. Albeit to no avail as Murugan Ashwin leaked 16, with Stokes exploring each nook and crevice of the ground. There was no respect whatsoever for his national teammate, Chris Jordan as well with Stokes sending a half-volley sailing over long-off with a languid extension of his arms. It could have been the most hunky-dory PowerPlay but Stokes bit the dust on the verge, yanking an off-cutter to mid-off.
Sanju relays the baton forward
Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson kept the wheels rolling with a steady accumulation of boundaries, walloping RR to a robust 103/1 at the halfway stage. But a double whammy spiced things up for good measure. While Uthappa's bellicose sweep found mid-wicket's palms, Jagdeesha Suchith produced a sidearm flick to nab Samson a yard short of his crease. Notwithstanding the hiccups on the road, RR weren't losing sleep with just 40 needed off 30 deliveries. Senior pros Jos Buttler and Steve Smith made a whoopee as Mohammed Shami splurged 19 off the 17th over, a mighty expensive over which quashed any notions of a bottle job storyline.
Gayle-Rahul cut loose after Mandeep bags golden duck
No prizes for guessing who was RR's spearhead in drawing early blood. The man who's breathing fire with speeds north of 145 clicks an hour, Jofra Archer. A vicious bouncer crept all over Mandeep Singh like a rash as Ben Stokes plunged from backward point to grab hold of the spliced edge inches from the turf. Chris Gayle served a harsh notice to Kartik Tyagi dictating that he's still wet behind the ears, raiding 14 off his first over.
Varun Aaron, who replaced counterpart Ankit Rajpoot in the eleven, did hurry the southpaw on the pull but Riyan Parag let slip the swirler at deep square leg. Fortune smiled upon him once more just after he accomplished the half-century landmark, with a miscued shovel somehow steering clear of bowler Rahul Tewatia's back-pedalling dash. Gayle's conversion rate this season has been sensational, cruising on to acquire three fifties in six appearances so far.
Gayle-Pooran beat KXIP's drum
The ball holding a tad bit in the surface meant a persistent struggle for timing. While Gayle's mishits had enough sting in them to clear the ropes, Rahul isn't cut from the same cloth. He perished trying to force the issue in the 15th off Ben Stokes, but only after contributing 46 to a humongous 120-run alliance. Nicholas Pooran trumpeted his arrival with a couple of devastating sixes before digging out Tyagi's near-perfect yorker to fetch a six over long-off. KXIP must have heaved a huge sigh of relief when the left-handed typhoon exited for a 10-ball 22, Tewatia reverse cupping the flat jab on the long leg boundary.
Gayle brought the hammer down on Tyagi's lifter to mow a maximum over cow corner, not only zapping his figures to 47/0 but also reserving an elusive milestone of thousand sixes in T20 cricket in the process. He'd ricochet an Archer missile onto his stumps to fall a whisker short of a richly-deserved ton, even throwing his bat across in sheer agony. The Universe Boss might be in for a cup of coffee in the match referee's cabin.
What's next in store?
Save the bag-packing for another day. For, both teams still own a puncher's chance of qualification. RR play their last league game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, while KXIP battle Chennai Super Kings later in the evening.
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