They had lost four of their last five games at Mohali but Kings XI Punjab made sure there was plenty to cheer for the home fans with a six-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants.
Needing 153 to win, openers Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra laid a solid platform with both scoring half-centuries. The opening stand of 97 put them in a commanding position before a wobble in the end saw them lose four wickets for just 22 runs. After Manan was picked up by Ankit Sharma, leggie Murugan Ashwin claimed Vijay, Shaun Marsh and David Miller in quick succession as Pune made a surprise comeback.
With the team under pressure, Glenn Maxwell struck an unbeaten 32 off just 14 balls with three fours and two sixes to seal the team’s first win in the ninth edition of the VIVO Indian Premier League. Meanwhile, Pune slipped to their second straight defeat after starting with a win over Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener.
Earlier, the visitors were propelled by Faf Du Plessis, who anchored their attack. Opening the innings, the South African hit eight boundaries in his knock of 67. The Supergiants opted to bat first after winning the toss, but struggled to score freely. Though they did manage to cross the 150-figure mark, their innings was without of a single six. It was also the first instance in the history of the IPL that a team made a score in excess of 150 without a maximum.
The home team’s Indian bowlers had an impressive day with Sandeep Sharma (2/23) and Mohit Sharma (3/23) stifling the Pune batters. Sandeep, who got the ball to swing early on cleaned up Ajinkya Rahane on the first ball of his second over. The home team struck again when Kevin Pietersen was caught at mid-wicket off Kyle Abbott’s second over.
Playing for his new franchise, Thisara Perera did not last too long at No.4 and was dismissed for only eight by Sandeep for his second wicket. Reeling at three for 76, Pune were rescued by a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket between Steven Smith (38 off 26) and Faf. However, despite the partnership, Pune failed to accelerate with a flurry of wickets at the end.
Skipper Dhoni had only eight balls to flex his muscles. Known to possess an excellent slower ball, Mohit bowled a top last over that fetched wickets off Faf and Dhoni off the first two balls. One of the big buys at the auction, Mohit gave away only three runs and made sure the visitors did not finish on a high.
Brief scores:
RPS 152/7 in 20 overs (Francois du Plessis 67, Steve Smith 38, Mohit Sharma 3/23)
KXIP 153/4 in 18.4 overs (Murali Vijay 53, Manan Vohra 51, Murugan Ashwin 2/23) Won by six wickets
Man of the Match: Manan Vohra for his 51 off only 33 balls
