Published: Sep 26, 2014, 09:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 26, 2014, 10:01 PM (IST)
By R Vishal
Sep 26, 2014
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) yet again made full use of the home conditions as the Northern Knights bowlers were smashed to every corner of the Mohali stadium in the 13th match of the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), with Manan Vohra leading from the front with a blazing knock of 65 from just 32 balls. Vohra was well supported by senior partner Virender Sehwag (52) and good cameo from David Miller lower down the order as the home team posted a humungous 214 for five, after being sent to bat.
Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra and started proceedings and it was singles in the early part of the innings. Then Manan Vohra played a gorgeous straight drive and the ball beat the infield and raced to the ropes in the first over of Trent Boult. There were more flashes of elegance as Vohra flicked the ball of his pads and the ball raced to the square leg boundary for another four and it was 11 from the opening over.
Tim Southee tried to intimidate Vohra with a short ball but the length was awful and Vohra hooked towards the fine-leg boundary and the ball went over the ropes. Virender Sehwag, meanwhile was tentative and had a nervy moment when a half-hearted edge went slightly past first slip and into the ropes. The upper cut of Scott Kuggelijn was vintage stuff from the veteran Indian opener and he simply guided the ball effortlessly over the third man ropes. Scott Styris came on and there were more edges and misfields that reached the fence and Punjab had reached 71 at the six over mark. Northern Knights turned to spin to stem the run flow and Sehwag romped back to punch the ball through the off-side and the score was racing along to the huge score.
Ish Sodhi got very little turn and was pitching it short and Manan was on it in a flash and it resulted in two scintillating sixes on the leg side and the the crowd was in raptures with all the big hitting. Yet again, the ball was pitched short and Vohra went for glory and the ball fell kindly to Trent Boult, who pouched the ball inches before the boundary ropes. Thisara Perera was sent up the order by George Bailey and it paid off immediately with the Sri Lankan hammering the ball over the ropes. Perera continued to go hell for leather and a big heave off Scott Kuggeleijn could only find Scott Styris’s safe hands.
The crowd favourite, Glencharan Singh aka Glenn Maxwell came to the crease and wasted no time before going after the bowling and a top edge went high up in the air and wicketkeeper BJ Watling spooned a simple catch to send a sigh of relief around Chandigarh. The relief didn’t last for long though as a full blooded thump on the leg-side as the ball only found Southee at deep-square leg. Then Sehwag carted the last ball of the same Ish Sodhi over as he completed his fifty.
Kuggeleijn capped off a great over by trapping Sehwag in front and it was left to the strokemakers in the lower order and George Bailey and David Miller played with calm and authority. Bailey departed for a superb catch by Anton Devcich in the deep but Miller continued to exercise a case on why is amongst the top three lower batsmen in the world as Punjab yet again crossed the 200 mark.
Brief scores:
Kings XI Punjab 214 for 5 (Virender Sehwag 52, Manan Vohra 65, David Miller 40* ; Scott Kuggeleijn 2 for 34, Ish Sodhi 2 for 37) vs Northern Knights
Complete coverage of Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2014 here
(R Vishal is a journalist, beach lover, Chelsea FC fan and a wannabe globetrotter. Being a loyal student of the Tariq Iqbal school of cricket stopped him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a cricketer. Now, he just writes and talks about the game; He can be followed on Twitter @vishhell)
