Kings XI remain top after crushing Bangalore

Sport360 staff 11:32 10/05/2014
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  • Bright spark: Punjab spinner Shivam Sharma (2nd r) bowled excellently in his first game.

    Kings XI Punjab’s South African batting star David Miller produced a star performance for his team on a day his celebrated team-mate Glenn Maxwell didn’t quite fire. 

    Sandeep Sharma then impressed with the ball as he took three wickets to help Punjab secure a 32-run win over Royal Challengers Banglore to make it seven wins from eight games. 

    Miller smashed 66 off 29 balls, with Maxwell adding 25 and Virender Sehwag 30 as Kings XI powered to an imposing 198-8.

    Virat Kohli’s team failed to match Punjab’s batting power. Despite AB de Villiers hitting 53 off 26 balls, Bangalore could only muster 166-9 in reply. 

    Sharma again proved his class  as returned figures of 3-25 but the surprise package was unheralded 20-year-old off-spinner Shivam Sharma who was playing his first competitive match at senior level.

    Bowling with great flight and control, the young spinner ended up with brilliant figures of 2-26 from his four over, while seamer Sandeep, who has been one of the finds of this IPL, blasted the top order away during an inspired first spell.

    He angled one away from Chris Gayle (4) who flashed at it and Wriddhiman Saha caught it safely behind the stumps.

    Off his next delivery, Virat Kohli tried to tuck it down leg side but managed to simply find Wriddhiman It was Kohli’s third duck in the tournament and now shares the ignominy with Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir.

    Parthiv Patel hit a few big shots but holed out to deep extra cover region, giving Sandeep his third wicket.

    Bangalore were reeling at 26-3 and it soon became 39-4 when Sachin Rana (18) was clean bowled by an arm ball from Akshar Patel.

    Yuvraj Singh (3) wasted too many deliveries, putting a lot of pressure on De Villiers before he was flummoxed by a flighted delivery from Shivam as the batsman tried to hit over mid-wicket; caught the edge and Sehwag did the rest at first slip.

    At the end of 10 overs, Bangalore were 52-5 and the match seemed as good as over. Albie Morkel (16) hit a couple of sixes as Glenn Maxwell went for 24 in his single over.

    However, Shivam got his second wicket when Morkel went for a heave, only to be caught by George Bailey at short third-man.

    De Villiers however carried on as he completed his 50 off 25 balls with successive sixes of Lakshmipathy Balaji.

    Having hit five sixes, De Villiers tried to hit the sixth when Balaji bowled one wide and his slog over cover was taken by Akshar. Once the South African was gone, it became a mere formality. 

    Earlier, Miller smashed his wayto a 29-ball-66 as Punjab’s batting clicked once again.

    Miller and Saha (17) steadied the ship as Punjab slipped to 116-4 in 11.4 overs after Sehwag and Mandeep Singh gave the visitors a great start adding 60 runs in 35 balls.

    Next man in Maxwell smacked Yuvraj out of the park for two sixes and a four, collecting 19 runs in eighth over of the innings as he looked to take the game away from Bangalore. However, Maxwell fell to Chahal after he holed out to deep mid-wicket where Mitchell Starc took a well-judged catch.

    It was left to Miller and Bailey, who scored an unbeaten 40 in the previous match against Chennai, to repair the innings as Punjab slumped to 93-3.

    Bailey, who hasn’t had a decent hit till now due to the great form the top order batsmen are in, was out poking at a delivery off Albie Morkel for one after playing seven balls.

    Saha pushed Punjab’s total by supporting Miller as they added 54 runs in only 4.5 overs.

    Miller hit eight boundaries and three sixes before departing in the 17th over. Saha was snared by seamer Harshal Patel at long-off by de Villiers, trying to loft a slower delivery.

    After that, Akshar Patel and Shivam Sharma fell cheaply, scoring two and four respectively. Bangalore’s Chahal was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2-23 in four overs.

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