Kings XI Punjab continued their fantastic run in the Champions League Twenty20 with an emphatic seven-wicket victory against Cape Cobras to end their group campaign with an all-win record.
The protagonists of Punjab’s vic¬tory at their home turf in Mohali last night were left-arm spinner Akshar Patel and wicketkeeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha.
Patel had the Cobras in a bind by claiming three wickets that ruined an explosive start by openers Richard Levi (42 off 37 balls) and Has-him Amla (40 off 22 balls). From 60 for no loss in 6.2 overs, the Cobras crumbled to 135 all out in 18.3 overs.
Saha, who was outstanding be¬hind the stumps, claiming two catches and affecting two smart stumps, proved equally effective in front too. He hit an unbeaten 42 off 35 balls as Punjab attained the tar¬get in the 19th over.
The match had turned into a dead rubber after Hobart Hurricanes had won against Barbados Tridents at the same venue earlier. Hobart’s victory shut the door on Cobras but that did not deter the South African outfit to start on an explosive note.
Contrary to expectations it was Amla who led the charge, spank¬ing pacer Thisara Perera for five boundaries on the trot. He smashed seven fours and a six before holing out in the deep trying to hit leg¬spinner Karanveer Singh out of the ground.
Amla’s dismissal opened the floodgates as the next nine wickets fell for the addition of just 75 runs with the last eight going down for just 30 runs.
Punjab spinners, backed up by excellent fielding displays, choked the Cobras no end. Captain George Bailey hailed Patel’s clean action and said his ability to tie down the batsmen is key to his success.
Bailey said: “He does a wonderful job through the innings. He con¬tains, he takes wickets and he does it with a short sleeved shirt which is pleasing.
“Overall, a good fightback with the ball and we did the job with the bat,” he added.
Levi blamed a tricky pitch and the batsmen’s inability to cope with it that caused Cobras’ downfall.
He said: “They are known to chase 190-200 odd runs with the lineup they have. They have big strikers of the ball.
“Although we had a very good start, for the guys coming in it was tough to score because the spinners were trying to stick it in the wicket. There was some crumble out here in the wicket as well.
“So I think the guys came under a bit of pressure, which George Bai¬ley picked up on very quickly and put (more) pressure.
“One or two things didn’t go our way – some good wicket-keeping, one or two good catches. That hap¬pens. So at the end of the day we might have been 15-20 runs short,” he added.
The Cobras ended their cam¬paign with just one victory and Levi feels they weren’t consistent in their displays.
He said: “We were a little incon¬sistent. We didn’t start off very well and if you have guys in two teams scoring hundreds against you, you shouldn’t be really winning games.
“But we are lucky we snuck one (win) through. Tonight if Ho¬bart had lost, we might have had a chance (of making it to the semis),” he added
