Continuing the theme of the day, in which JP Duminy put in an allround performance to guide DD to a win single handedly, KKR had Andre Russell to thank for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with a brutal 36 ball 66 which guided them to an improbable victory. The hard hitting West Indian who scalped 2 wickets with the ball, made a mockery of the Kings XI bowlers who had reduced KKR to 60/5 chasing 159. Sandeep Sharma bowled beautifully picking up 4 wickets, but none of the other bowlers managed to help his cause.
Kings XI Punjab themselves suffered a batting collapse earlier on, with the three KKR quickies picking a wicket each to reduce Punjab to 27/3 in the fifth over. Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey though went about the innings in their usual style, not allowing the pressure to build up. Maxwell curbed his natural instincts to some extent, playing sensibly while Bailey once again donned the role of playing throughout the innings, helping his team to 155 off their 20 overs. Their scoring was restricted mainly due to Sunil Narine, who seem like getting back to his miserly best after every match, giving away just 17 runs in his 4 overs.
KKR came in to bat, with a clear plan in mind. Gambhir would look to play through the innings while the others will look to get the move on. They did get the run rate they were looking for, but it came at a price. Half of their side were back in the pavillion after 8 overs with 60 runs on board. Sandeep Sharma bowled beautifully, reminding us of his exploits in the last season, picking up 2 wickets a piece at either end to finish off his quota. Punjab were undoubtedly on top, but that's where their joy ended. Andre Russell came and was brutal in his onslaught as he hammered the Punjab bowlers to all parts of the ground. The more fancied Yusuf Pathan was left a bystander as the West Indian allrounder spared no one in a 95 run partnership, that all but ensured victory for KKR.
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