Gambhir shines; KKR trounce Punjab

KXIP made one change to their playing eleven – Bipul (Shar)made way for Paul Valthaty.

KKR made three changes to their playing eleven – Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate and Jaydev Unadkat made way for Brendon McCullum, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Brett Lee.

On winning the toss, Adam Gilchrist, KXIP’s skipper, chose to bat.

The first Powerplay of KXIP’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 45, and lost a wicket.

Valthaty, whose run-a-ball innings included a boundary, scored eight. Three overs into the match, he was caught by Manvinder Bisla. Lee broke the 24-run stand.

KXIP had scored 44 for the loss of a wicket off 5.5 overs when Gilchrist, who was batting on 28, retired hurt.

KXIP scored 50 off seven overs (42 balls). KKR had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Mandeep Singh, who faced 10 balls, scored half-a-dozen. Thirty-nine balls after Valthaty’s dismissal, he was caught by Rajat Bhatia. Balaji broke the 38-run stand.

Shaun Marsh, whose 30-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 33. Twenty-seven balls later, he was caught by Bisla. Lee broke the 24-run stand.

The fourth-wicket pair put on a run. David Hussey, who faced 14 balls, scored 10. A couple of balls later, McCullum and Bisla ran him out.

KXIP scored 100 off 16.3 overs (99 balls). KKR had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Dimitri Mascarenhas, whose 10-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. Fifteen balls after Hussey’s dismissal, he was caught by Manoj Tiwary. Bhatia broke the 14-run stand.

A hundred and one balls (16.5 overs) into the match, Gilchrist resumed his innings. KXIP had scored 101 for the loss of five wickets at that point.

He eventually scored 40 off 30 balls, which included three boundaries and a six. He was unbeaten.

Paras Dogra, who faced eight balls, scored half-a-dozen. Two balls later, he was caught by Jacques Kallis. Sunil Narine broke the one-run stand.

Piyush Chawla, who faced 10 balls, scored nine. Seventeen balls later, Narine broke the 21-run stand.

KKR eventually conceded three extras. KXIP scored 124 for the loss of seven wickets off 20 overs.

Yusuf Pathan, who bowled an over, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he was wicketless, as was Kallis, who bowled three overs, conceding 23.

Bhatia and Balaji bowled four overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 23, the latter conceded 20.

Lee and Narine bowled four overs each, picking up a couple of scalps apiece. While the former conceded 26, the latter conceded 24.

The first Powerplay of KKR’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 53, and lost a wicket.

KKR’s openers put on 50 off 5.2 overs (32 balls). KXIP had conceded a couple of extras at that point. While McCullum’s contribution to the partnership was 15, the contribution of Gautam Gambhir, their skipper and the player of the match, to it was 35.

McCullum, whose 18-ball innings included three boundaries, didn’t add to the aforementioned score. Thirty-five balls into the chase, he was caught by Mascarenhas. Chawla broke the 53-run stand.

Bisla, whose 14-ball innings included a six, scored 11. Twenty-four balls later, Chawla broke the 21-run stand.

Gambhir’s half-century – which included five boundaries and a six – came off 36 balls.

KKR scored 100 off 14.2 overs (86 balls). KXIP had conceded five extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

The third-wicket pair put on 50 off 40 balls. While Gambhir’s contribution to the partnership was 22, Kallis’ contribution to it was 30. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a run.

Gambhir, whose 44-ball innings included seven boundaries, in addition to the six, eventually scored 66. He was unbeaten, as was Kallis, who didn’t add to the aforementioned score. His 23-ball innings included a couple of boundaries and a six.

KKR, who scored 127 for the loss of a couple of wickets off 16.3 overs, won by eight wickets with 21 balls to spare.

Harmeet Singh bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceding 26.

Praveen Kumar bowled three wicketless overs, including a maiden. He conceded 23.

Bhargav Bhatt bowled three wicketless overs, conceding 32.

Mascarenhas bowled four wicketless overs, conceding 23.

Chawla bowled four overs, conceding 19. He picked up both the wickets that fell.