Rain, McCullum-led KKR disappoint Punjab

KXIP made no changes to their playing eleven.

KKR made one change to their playing eleven – Ajit Agarkar made way for Yashpal Singh.

(Brend)On winning the toss, McCullum, KKR’s skipper, chose to field.

The first Powerplay of KXIP’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 46, and lost a wicket.

Karan Goel had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he didn’t get off the (Shar)mark. Fourteen balls into the match, he was caught by Chris Gayle. Ishant broke the nine-run stand.

Irfan Pathan, whose 17-ball innings included five boundaries and a six, scored 32. Twenty-four balls later, he was caught by Murali Kartik. Sourav Ganguly broke the 38-run stand.

Ravi Bopara, whose run-a-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 15. A couple of balls later, he was caught by McCullum. Ganguly broke the one-run stand.

KXIP scored 50 off 7.3 overs (45 balls). KKR hadn’t conceded any extras at that point.

Ten overs into the match, KXIP had scored 67 for the loss of three wickets at that point. While Kumar Sangakkara was batting on 11, Yuvraj Singh, KXIP’s skipper, had scored nine.

In fact, it was at that point that there was an interruption due to rain.

The fourth-wicket pair put on 50 off 35 balls. While Sangakkara’s contribution to the partnership was 20, Yuvraj’s contribution to it was 23. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was seven.

KXIP scored 100 off 12.5 overs (77 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave KKR no reason to be in seventh heaven.

The fourth-wicket pair put on 56. Sangakkara, whose 24-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, eventually scored 26. Forty-five balls after Bopara’s dismissal, Aakash Chopra and McCullum ran him out.

Yuvraj, whose 28-ball innings included three boundaries and a couple of sixes, eventually scored 38. Nine balls later, he was caught by Yashpal. Moises Henriques broke the 18-run stand.

Mahela Jayawardene, whose 19-ball innings included three boundaries and a six, scored 31. He was unbeaten.

Taruwar Kohli, who faced four balls, scored a run. Ten balls after Yuvraj’s dismissal, he was caught by McCullum. Ashok Dinda broke the nine-run stand.

KXIP scored 150 off 19.2 overs (116 balls). KKR had conceded 10 extras at that point.

Piyush Chawla, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored three. He was unbeaten.

KKR eventually conceded a dozen extras. KXIP scored 158 for the loss of half-a-dozen wickets off 20 overs.

Gayle and Kartik bowled a wicketless over apiece. While the former conceded 14, the latter was in seventh heaven.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceded 22.

Dinda, Henriques and Sharma bowled four overs apiece. While the former conceded 34, 32, and 24, respectively.

Ganguly, who bowled four overs, conceded 24. He picked up a couple of scalps.

The first Powerplay of KKR’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 60, and lost a wicket.

KKR’s openers scored 50 off 5.1 overs (31 balls). KXIP had conceded four extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded. While McCullum’s contribution to the partnership was 15, Gayle’s contribution to it was 32.

McCullum, whose 16-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, eventually scored 21. Thirty-three balls into the chase, he was caught by Sangakkara. Vikramjeet Malik broke the 57-run partnership.

Fifty-eight balls (9.2 overs) into the chase, there was an interruption due to rain. As a result, KKR’s target was revised to 69.

KKR, who scored 79 for the loss of a wicket at that point, won by 11 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method. While Gayle eventually 44 off 26 balls (which included a couple of boundaries and four sixes), Brad Hodge – who faced 14 balls – was unbea‘ten’.

Bopara, who bowled two wicketless balls, scored a run.

Yusuf Abdulla and the leggie bowled a couple of wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 20, the (Chaw)latter conceded eight.

Pathan, who bowled three wicketless overs, conceded 27.

Malik, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 23. He picked up the only wicket to fall.