Miller boon boosts KXIP
7 May 2013 1:44 PM GMT
A superb unbeaten century by David Miller gave Kings XI Punjab a stunning six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 6 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium on Monday. Miller struck an unbeaten 33-ball 101 as Kings XI, while chasing a target of 191, made 194 for four with 12 balls to spare.
The South Africa batsman added an unbeaten 130 for the fifth wicket with R Sathish to lead KXIP to an unlikely victory after their top order was reduced to 64 for four after eight overs. The 38-ball century was studded with eight boundaries and seven huge sixes. Sathish remained unbeaten on 27 (18b, 4x2, 6x1).
Earlier, openers Chris Gayle and Cheteshwar Pujara hit contrasting half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed an imposing 190 for three. Pujara, playing his first match of the season, and Gayle shared a 102-run stand to give their side a rollicking start and AB de Villers came up with a 38-run cameo off just 19 balls towards the end to propel the side to a huge score.
Gayle’s 61 came off 33 balls with nine boundaries, including three sixes, while Pujara scored 51 off 48 balls and helped himself with eight shots to the fence. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the best bowler to watch as he bowled a probing line and varied his pace superbly to trouble the batsmen. He did not get a wicket but conceded just 26 runs in his four overs.
Manpreet Gony dismissed bowled both Gayle and Pujara and the visitors lost skipper Virat Kohli (14) cheaply after that but de Villiers ensured that the good start does not go waste as he blasted his way to 38 with four fours and two sixes.
He collected 21 runs off the final over, bowled by debutant Michael Neser along with Moises Henriques. A tentative Pujara was slow off the blocks but the marauding West Indian was his usual aggressive self. He hit gigantic sixes off Neser, as the two openers reeled off 18 runs from South African paceman’s first over. As if the Gayle bashing was not enough, Pujara too got into the act, scoring a hat-trick of boundaries off Gony in the next over as Bangalore raced to 58 for none in six overs.
Even Gayle’s mis-hits were kissing the boundary ropes as he raced to his half-century in 27 balls. Gony returned and was hoicked for a six by Gayle but he had his revenge when he uprooted Gayle’s stumps in the next ball. That wicket did affect the run-rate even as skipper Kohli and Pujara took the side to 133 for one in 15 overs.
Gony returned and bowled Pujara, when he dragged one back on the stumps. Pravinder Awana got rid of Kohli, who miscued a pull on a rising ball.
DON’T ALLOW SRK INSIDE STADIUM: MCA TO COPS
The Mumbai Cricket Association has informed a local police station to prevent Kolkata Knight Riders principal owner Shah Rukh from entering the stadium, when his team takes on Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. ‘We wrote a letter to Marine Lines police station today asking them not to allow Shah Rukh Khan inside the stadium on Tuesday. This was after the police had asked us to send a letter to that effect,’ MCA president Ravi Savant told reporters. Shah Rukh was banned for five years from entering MCA premises after he was involved in a skirmish with security staff following KKR’s victory over MI last year.
The South Africa batsman added an unbeaten 130 for the fifth wicket with R Sathish to lead KXIP to an unlikely victory after their top order was reduced to 64 for four after eight overs. The 38-ball century was studded with eight boundaries and seven huge sixes. Sathish remained unbeaten on 27 (18b, 4x2, 6x1).
Earlier, openers Chris Gayle and Cheteshwar Pujara hit contrasting half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed an imposing 190 for three. Pujara, playing his first match of the season, and Gayle shared a 102-run stand to give their side a rollicking start and AB de Villers came up with a 38-run cameo off just 19 balls towards the end to propel the side to a huge score.
Gayle’s 61 came off 33 balls with nine boundaries, including three sixes, while Pujara scored 51 off 48 balls and helped himself with eight shots to the fence. Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the best bowler to watch as he bowled a probing line and varied his pace superbly to trouble the batsmen. He did not get a wicket but conceded just 26 runs in his four overs.
Manpreet Gony dismissed bowled both Gayle and Pujara and the visitors lost skipper Virat Kohli (14) cheaply after that but de Villiers ensured that the good start does not go waste as he blasted his way to 38 with four fours and two sixes.
He collected 21 runs off the final over, bowled by debutant Michael Neser along with Moises Henriques. A tentative Pujara was slow off the blocks but the marauding West Indian was his usual aggressive self. He hit gigantic sixes off Neser, as the two openers reeled off 18 runs from South African paceman’s first over. As if the Gayle bashing was not enough, Pujara too got into the act, scoring a hat-trick of boundaries off Gony in the next over as Bangalore raced to 58 for none in six overs.
Even Gayle’s mis-hits were kissing the boundary ropes as he raced to his half-century in 27 balls. Gony returned and was hoicked for a six by Gayle but he had his revenge when he uprooted Gayle’s stumps in the next ball. That wicket did affect the run-rate even as skipper Kohli and Pujara took the side to 133 for one in 15 overs.
Gony returned and bowled Pujara, when he dragged one back on the stumps. Pravinder Awana got rid of Kohli, who miscued a pull on a rising ball.
DON’T ALLOW SRK INSIDE STADIUM: MCA TO COPS
The Mumbai Cricket Association has informed a local police station to prevent Kolkata Knight Riders principal owner Shah Rukh from entering the stadium, when his team takes on Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. ‘We wrote a letter to Marine Lines police station today asking them not to allow Shah Rukh Khan inside the stadium on Tuesday. This was after the police had asked us to send a letter to that effect,’ MCA president Ravi Savant told reporters. Shah Rukh was banned for five years from entering MCA premises after he was involved in a skirmish with security staff following KKR’s victory over MI last year.
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