Kings XI Punjab clip Sunrisers’ wings

With 27 required from 24 balls with six wickets in hand, Sunrisers fell like ninepins to be all out for 114 runs in 19.5 overs

Dubai: Kings XI Punjab staged a tremendous comeback to clinch a 12-run victory from the jaws of defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad to stay in the hunt for playoffs, on Saturday. After posting a modest 126/7 in stipulated 20 overs, Kings XI Punjab looked like out of the game.

Sunrisers were cruising at one stage at 99/3 in 16 overs. However, things changed in the 17th over when J Suchith jumped in the air at the straight boundary and took a fabulous catch to dismiss Manish Pandey off Chris Jordan. The wicket turned the match in Kings XI favour.

With 27 required from 24 balls with six wickets in hand, Sunrisers fell like ninepins to be all out for 114 runs in 19.5 overs. Vijay Shakar edged Arshadeep Singh to wicketkeeper Rahul in the next over. Chris Jordan then dismissed Jason Holder and Rashid Khan off successive balls in the 19th over. The David-warner led side needed 14 off the final overs.

However, Arshadeep accounted for Sandeep Sharma and Priyam Garg while Khaleel Ahmed was run out on the penultimate ball. Earlier, Sunrisers bowlers produced a clinical performance to restrict Kings XI Punjab to a modest total. SRH bowlers responded impressively to their skipper David Warner’s decision to field first, picking wickets at regular intervals to control the innings. KXIP Skipper KL Rahul (27), Mandeep Singh (17) and Chris Gayle (20) all got starts but their innings never got going as they failed to grab the momentum.

SRH perfectly planned Gayle’s dismissal who came at one down. They kept the big-hitting batsman quiet for a long time, consistently bowling wide of the off stump and in the process frustrated him. Gayle repeatedly tried to force his way out of the shackles but was dismissed by his West Indian teammate Jason Holder (2/27), caught at long-off by Warner with a wide of the stumps delivery in the 10th over.

Rashid Khan (2/14) then went through the defence of captain Rahul in the first ball off the next over as KXIP slumped to 66 for three. Glenn Maxwell’s (12) struggle with the bat continued as he too departed soon, holed out to Warner at long-on off Sandeep Sharma (2/29) before Deepak Hooda was stumped by Jonny Bairstow off Rashid.

Boundaries and sixes were hard to come by and KXIP batsmen’s struggle can be gauged from the fact they failed to find the fence for more than 11 overs, which was finally broken by Nicholas Pooran in the 19th over. Pooran ended being the top-scorer, making an unbeaten 32 off 28 balls.