Yuvraj-led PWI debut; Punjab disappointed

PWI were playing their first match.

Their playing eleven comprised Graeme Smith, Jesse Ryder, Mithun Manhas, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh (who represented KXIP the previous season, and was leading the team), Mohnish Mishra, Rahul Sharma, Murali Kartik, Shrikant Wagh (the player of the match), Wayne Parnell and Alfonso Thomas.

Besides Yuvraj, KXIP made eight other changes to their playinG(o)eleven.

These were Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Irfan Pathan, Karan, Rusty Theron, Ramesh Powar, Sunny Sohal and V R V Singh.

They made way for Adam Gilchrist (who was leading the team, and chose to bat on winning the toss), Paul Valthaty, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Sunny Singh, Ryan McLaren, Praveen Kumar, Nathan Rimmington and Twenty20 debutant Bhargav Bhatt.

The first Powerplay of KXIP’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the fourth over. They scored 36, and lost five wickets.

Gilchrist, who faced three balls, scored a run. Four balls into the match, he was caught by Uthappa. Thomas broke the two-run stand.

Shaun Marsh, who faced three balls, scored a run. Four balls later, he was caught by Sharma. Wagh broke the three-run stand.

Valthaty, whose run-a-ball innings included a boundary, scored half-a-dozen. Eight balls later, he was caught by Ryder. Thomas broke the four-run stand.

The fourth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Karthik had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he didn’t open his account. Five balls later, he was caught by Sharma off the bowling of Wagh.

The fifth-wicket pair put on 27. Sunny Singh, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored a dozen. His runs came by way of boundaries. Fourteen balls later, Yuvraj and Uthappa ran him out.

The sixth over of KXIP’s over – which was bowled by Kartik – was called a five-ball over by the West Indian umpire Billy Doctrove.

Nayar, whose 18-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored a dozen. Sixteen balls after Sunny Singh’s dismissal, he was caught by Yuvraj. Ryder broke the nine-run stand.

KXIP scored 50 off 11 overs (66 balls). The number of extras they had conceded at that point gave PWI no reason to be in seventh heaven.

Piyush Chawla, who faced 28 balls, scored just 15. Fifty-two balls after Nayar’s dismissal, he was caught by Uthappa. Wagh broke the 35-run stand.

KXIP scored 100 off 18.5 overs (113 balls). PWI had conceded 10 extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

Praveen, who faced five balls, scored three. A dozen balls after Chawla’s dismissal, he was caught by Uthappa. Parnell broke the 22-run stand.

McLaren’s half-century – which included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six – came off 42 balls.

He eventually scored 51 off 43 balls, and was unbeaten, as was Rimmington, who faced a ball, scoring a run.

KXIP scored 112 for the loss of eight wickets off 20 overs.

Kartik, who bowled a wicketless over, conceded 10.

Sharma, who bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceded a dozen.

Manhas, who bowled three wicketless overs, conceded 14.

Ryder bowled three overs, including a maiden. He conceded nine, picking up a wicket.

Parnell, who bowled four overs, conceded 20. He picked up a wicket.

Thomas, who bowled four overs, conceded 27. He picked up a couple of wickets.

Wagh, who bowled three overs, conceded 16. He picked up three scalps.

The first Powerplay of PWI’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 44, and lost a wicket.

PWI’s openers didn’t get off the mark. Smith, who faced a ball, didn’t get off the mark. A ball into the match, he was caught by McLaren. Kumar broke the one-run stand.

PWI scored 50 off 6.4 overs (40 balls). KXIP had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off 39 balls. While Ryder’s contribution to the partnership was 22, Manhas’ contribution to it was 29. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a couple.

Manhas, whose 32-ball innings included five boundaries and a six, eventually scored 35. Forty-six balls after Smith’s dismissal, he was caught by Gilchrist. Nayar broke the 60-run partnership.

Ryder, whose 17-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries, eventually scored 31. Four balls later, he was caught by Gilchrist. McLaren broke the eight-run stand.

PWI scored 100 off 12.3 overs (75 balls). KXIP had conceded three extras at that point.

Uthappa, whose 14-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, scored 22. He was unbeaten, as was Yuvraj, who scored 21. His 15-ball innings included a couple of boundaries and a six.

KXIP eventually conceded four extras. PWI, who scored 113 for the loss of three wickets off 13.1 overs, won by seven wickets with 41 balls to spare.

Chawla, who bowled an over, conceded 12. He was wicketless, as was Rimmington, who bowled three overs, conceding 19.

Praveen and McLaren bowled three overs, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 28, the latter conceded 26.

Nayar, who bowled 3.1 overs, conceded 27. He picked up a wicket.