Published: Apr 13, 2016, 06:40 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 13, 2016, 06:42 PM (IST)
The Match No.3 of IPL 2016 witnessed the newcomers Gujarat Lions beat Kings XI Punjab at PCA stadium, Mohali. The match was a mid-scoring game, with Kings XI posting 161 while batting first. Gujarat Lions inspired by Aaron Finch’s 74 chased down the target with 14 balls to spare. This match was the debut game for the Gujarat side. Led from the front by the ever-present Suresh Raina, the Lions bowled very well in a batting-friendly track to restrict Kings XI for 161. The star of the bowling show was ‘Champion’ Dwayne Bravo, who took a 4 for 22 on his way to surpassing Lasith Malinga as the highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket. For all the fans who missed the exciting encounter, here are the highlights of the game. FULL SCORECARD: KXIP vs GUJ, 3rd T20 Match
Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra get Kings XI off to a flyer: A new opening partnership, Vohra and Vijay got their team of to a rapid-fire start, scoring 78 runs in 8.1 overs. Both the players used the powerplay to maximum, scoring boundaries every now and then. Vohra got a reprieve in the 5th over, as Dwayne Bravo dropped a tough chance of James Faulkner’s bowling.
Jadeja gets Gujarat Lions back into the game: After a wonderful start, Kings XI were rocked by two quick wickets, as Jadeja removed both the openers in quick succession. Vohra, who was looking dangerous, was caught by wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik. And soon, Vijay followed him, getting clean bowled trying to play an inside out shot. FULL VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016, Match 3 at Mohali
Dwayne Bravo removes Glenn Maxwell and David Miller in no time: A breathtaking spell from Bravo meant the dangerous Maxwell and Miller were removed without doing much damage. Bravo removed the Australian with a fast yorker, before removing the Kings XI skipper with a trademark slower yorker.
Kings XI end up with 161 after 20 overs: The host’s ended their innings at 161, much short of what they would have liked to achieve. A sensational bowling performance by Bravo, who ended up with 4 for 22, was the chief protagonist. For Kings XI, a late blitz by Marcus Stoinis was key for them to reach this respectable score.
Brendon McCullum is removed in the first over: The dangerous ‘B-mac’ was removed in the first over by Sandeep Sharma. McCullum tried to take on the bowler by stepping out, but in the end completely missed the ball, with Saha doing rest of the work.
Suresh Raina departs after a quick-fire 20: The Lions’ skipper Raina scored a quick-fire 20 of 9 balls, before getting caught at mid-off by Mitchell Johnson of Stoinis’ bowling. Raina looked very good earlier, scoring two sixes in his cameo, before a slower ball did the trick.
Aaron Finch and Dinesh Karthik counter-attack the Kings XI bowlers. Finch and Karthik took over and scored at a fast run-rate. Finch was extremely impressive, taking on the loose balls and converting them into boundaries. Karthik played a brilliant supporting-role in a 65-run partnership. By the time Finch was gone, the required run-rate fell below 6 rpo.
Karthik stays till the end as Lions win by 5 wickets: Karthik took over the mantle of staying till the end after the departure of Finch. While runs were tough to come from the other end, Karthik played maturely to end up with 41* and making sure Lions’ debut match ends up in a win.
(R Narayan is a reporter with CricketCountry, and is an ardent cricket and football enthusiast (big Manchester United fan). Having followed Cricket since 2003, he likes high scoring matches as well as good fast bowling. His twitter handle is @RNarayan24nov)
