Published: May 08, 2017, 02:11 PM (IST)
Edited: May 08, 2017, 02:11 PM (IST)
Hashim Amla scored his second century in the 10th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). However, despite his valiant efforts, his team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) did not have enough in them to back him up. In match 47, against Gujarat Lions (GL), Kings XI Punjab spilled as many as three catches and made a few errors to lose the clash by 6 wickets on a flat, batting surface. Gujarat Lions, with this win, registered their fourth victory but an inconsequential one, as the Suresh Raina-led team are already out of contention from the race to the final four. Let us take a look at the highlights. Full Cricket Scorecard, Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2017, Match 47
The sublime Hashim Amla: Before he joins South Africa on their tour to England, Amla celebrated his IPL stint with yet another glitzy innings. For a batsman known for his classy yet conventional strokes, Amla was seen scooping the ball as well as taking aerial routes. The rotation of strike is never a problem for Amla. He added 125 runs with Shaun Marsh for the second wicket. All in all, Amla scored 104 off 60, studded with 5 sixes and 8 fours.
Amla joins an exclusive club: Amla had previously scored a century against Mumbai Indians (MI). On Sunday night, he became only the third cricketer in the history of the tournament to score multiple centuries. Only Chris Gayle (2011) and Virat Kohli (2016) have done that in the past.
Shaun Marsh’s aura: For so many years, Marsh has been a constant figure in the KXIP camp. Marsh, from Western Australia, certainly enjoys playing in the IPL. Marsh brought up his half-century off 37 balls, and scored 58 off 43 balls with 6 boundaries.
Sandeep Sharma vs umpire: In the fifth over of Gujarat Lions’ chase, Sandeep signalled the umpire to change the bowling side. Sandeep wanted to come from around the wicket, to which Dwayne Smith decided not to cross over to the other side and instead stand afar. Sandeep was left bemused, rather angry, when the umpire immediately signalled it a no-ball and awarded the batting side a free-hit. Sandeep was seen having an animated discussion with the umpire, soon joined in by Glenn Maxwell.
KXIP’s errors: Gurkeerat Singh Mann was selected ahead of Manan Vohra. He did not get a chance to bat. But in the field, Gurkeerat made several mistakes. He dropped two catches, of Smith and Suresh Raina. That robbed KXIP off a few wickets. There were some needless throws from the deep as well. It eventually showed how edgy KXIP at such crucial juncture.
The good old Dwayne Smith: With scores of 12, 1, 5, 4, 0 and 9 before this game, the pressure was firmly on Smith who walked out to bat with the young Ishan Kishan. Smith chose to play a characteristic innings, smacking 74 off 39 with 8 fours and 4 sixes. He added 91 runs for the first wicket with Kishan. setting the tone for his team’s win.
Maxwell terms the performance ‘devastating’: The KXIP captain was seen getting animated. After ending up on the losing side, Maxwell termed the defeat as ‘pretty devastating’, which in a way was an apt description after what transpired on the field.
