KXIP defeated DC by 5 wickets
The last two matches of Kings XI Punjab have clearly swayed the opinions people hold about the team. One should not ever underestimate the book by its cover. After defeating leading team Mumbai Indians on Sunday, Punjab took over the top position holder Delhi Capitals yesterday, affirming its competitive and strong existence in the game. The tussle ended with a win of 5 wickets. The efforts were commendable from both sides.
The game got a kick start with Delhi Capitals winning the toss and electing to bat. They forwarded a score of 164 runs on loss of 5 wickets setting a critical run chase of 165 for KXIP. The game got quite threatening after a century by Shikhar Dhawan in first innings. He amazed the audience by hitting 106 runs off 61 balls, counting up to his second century this season. His undaunted set of 12 fours and 3 sixes rose him to the fame of Man of the match even after his team's defeat. His contribution didn't grab the desire.
Nicholas Pooran engraved his name on fans' hearts by slamming 53 off 28 balls. He had a hard time to Delhi. Glenn Maxwell (32 off 24) and Chris Gayle (29 off 13) fetched the necessary parts, dragging teams across the finish lines.Pooran in match analysis expressed his elation and said, "This was a wonderful game. It feels good to win and sustain till the last over. I can't make peace with the fact of me not lasting till the end but definitely it is a team game where teamwork pays off."
Muhammad Shami uprooted two wickets with his astonishing and unpredictable deliveries. Maxwell, Neesham and Ashwin took 1 wicket each, choking DC at 164 and snatching this 5 wicket win.Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capital's Skipper was quite upset with the team's performance but he appreciated Shikhar Dhawan for pulling off greatly. He felt the need of 10 more runs, but ended on a promising note to make a great comeback.
With such turnovers in the points table, it will be interesting to see tonight's battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at 7:30 PM.
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