Published: May 24, 2014, 09:03 AM (IST)
Edited: May 24, 2014, 09:03 AM (IST)
Mohali: May 23, 2014
Kings XI Punjab captain George Bailey on Friday said that he was happy with the way his side batted and built partnerships, which led to a 16-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match.
Kings XI Punjab produced a clinical all-round display to register a convincing 16-run win over Rajasthan Royals and consolidate their position at the top of the table. “We have been trying to have a smaller gap between your best and worst cricket. We said we had a lot of batters capable of scoring between 20 and 40 but the pleasing thing tonight was we kept wickets in hand and building stands,” Bailey said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Sent in to bat, table-toppers Kings XI Punjab plundered 46 runs in the last three of their innings to finish with a competitive 179 for four. Their bowlers then came to the party, with Akshar Patel leading the way with impressive figures of three for 24, to restrict RR to 163 for eight.
Rishi Dhawan and Karanveer Singh picked up two wickets each for the home side. “Karanveer has been patient and bowled beautifully tonight. I thought Balaji and Rishi were excellent in the middle overs. Akshar too,” Bailey added.
RR skipper Shane Watson blamed himself for losing his wicket at a crucial juncture. “It was a very good wicket. I’m a culprit for losing my wicket. Faulkner has been incredible with the bat. We have got to pick ourselves up from tonight’s game. The game against Mumbai Indians is a knockout,” Watson said.
Man of the Match Shaun Marsh, who top-scored for KXIP with 40, said, “Enjoyed batting with Manan [Vohra]. The bowlers were fantastic. The ball was coming on really nicely, full credit to our bowlers. Good that we got a good win tonight.”
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