There was drama in the final but Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) returned to victories after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight goals in Match 31 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 Thursday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
RCB v KXIP | IPL 2020 Match 31 Highlights
KXIP had switched to 170/1 after 19 overs and only needed 2 runs to complete their second win. But Chahal, who rolled over the final, held his nerve and did a remarkable job as KXIP could only get one run from the first five balls and also lost Gayle after running out on the penultimate delivery.
With 1 needed from the last ball, there was the possibility of another super over. But Nicholas Pooran slammed a six on the last ball and took KXIP home with him.
KXIP openers KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal took 172 runs to win and started vigilantly when KXIP scored 5 of the first two overs.
Rahul prevailed against Chris Morris in the third game when KXIP switched to 18/0. RCB introduced spin to attack in game four and Mayank opened his shoulders as he scored two fours and a six ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rahul and Mayank hit two sixs and a four between them in the next two overs and completed another fifty-run stance when KXIP went over fifty at the end of the six overs.
Mayank added six and four to his account but got out for 45 in-game eight after Chahal broke his defense to give RCB its first break from the 78-run opening score. RCB kept things extremely tight for the next three overs, only allowing KXIP 10 runs.
Rahul, though beating two mighty sixes in the 12th, was bowled by Mohammed Siraj when KXIP broke the 100-run mark. Chris Gayle joined the party with six hits while following up on Washington Sundar the next year.
While RCB bowled two overs and only conceded seven runs, Gayle faced Siraj in the 16th, hit two sixes and a four and in this process brought about the fifty-year partnership with Rahul.
The hard-hitting West Indian continued on his merry ways, ending his half century the next year by slamming two sixes off Washington Sundar.
Previously, KXIP had made three changes to their site when Deepak Hooda featured Chris Gayle and Murugan Ashwin on their XI debut for KXIP. In the meantime, RCB remained unchanged.
After RCB opted for the bat, Aaron Finch hit a six in the first run ahead of Glenn Maxwell and an aerial shot over the middle for four in the second run.
While Devdutt Padikkal was putting on a four and a six over the course of the next two overs, he was taken care of by an Arshdeep Singh delivery who expected a little more than Padikkal and ballooned one on the short cover to get off for 18.
Announcing his arrival in style, Virat Kohli hit two fours – a Kohli Special Cover Drive and then a flick – of the first three deliveries he faced before adding another four to his account on the sixth when RCB on 57 / 1 switched to the end of the power play.
Though Finch got a life on the first ball of seventh delivery, he got off the next ball after M Ashwin snuck one through the right-hander’s defense to give KXIP the second wicket.
Washington Sundar then got to Kohli in the middle, and KXIP managed to keep things tight, conceding only 21 of the next 21 deliveries. At halftime, RCB 83/2, Kohli on the 25th and Washington Sundar on the 13th were unbeaten.
The pressure on KXIP was felt when M Ashwin picked his second wicket after Washington Sundar tried to break the shackles and ran over the deep on the 11th.
KXIP continued its good job with the ball as the spinners did not allow RCB to use it. In the next three overs, RCB scored 15 runs and moved past a hundred.
Dube, who hit 8 of 12 balls at the end of the 14th, shifted gears and in a way did it. The left-hander threw two consecutive sixes in front of Bishnoi to bring RCB to 120. However, KXIP selected three wickets over the course of the next three overs. On the 16th, Chris Jordan caught Dube with a short ball.
Mohammad Shami, who played the 18th inning bowling, then hit big when RCB AB de Villiers and Kohli lost. First, the pacemaker with his right arm released de Villiers after the batsman misjudged his shot and gave Deepak Hooda a light catch near the additional cover. Two balls later, Kohli got off for 48 after Rahul completed a dive catch.
RCB was 137/6 after the end of 18 overs and needed a big finish and Chris Morris and Isuru Udana did just that as the two added 34 runs in the final two overs.
Morris turned a six over Jordan in the penultimate game before overtaking Shami in the final. Morris hit a four on the first ball before he and Udana creamed three sixes from the last four balls to bring RCB to 171/6 at the end of the 20 overs. While Morris was unbeaten with 25 of 8 balls, Udana scored 10 * of 5 balls.
