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Knight Riders win by 11 runs

A steady drizzle robbed the sizzle in the encounter between the Kings XI and KKR as the latter won by 11 runs.

Kings XI has every right to feel unlucky as the rain and the Duckworth-Lewis combined to do them in for a second time in the row. To be fair to KKR though, Chris Gayle with 44 not out had put his team well on course for a comprehensive victory. What is really galling from the spectator point of view is that they were denied the chance to watch Gayle at his brutal best.

Rains stalls Gayle carnage

To drop Chris Gayle once is a crime, but to drop him twice amounts to a cardinal sin and Kings XI Punjab would be hoping that he does not make them pay for it too dearly. Rain had stopped play at the time of filing this report and Gayle was still batting out in the middle with the redoubtable Brad Hodge keeping him company. The only bowler to be spared a spanking was Piyush Chawla who even managed to spin one past Gayle’s weapon of mass destruction. The heavily overcast conditions may have cast a shadow over the match’s proceedings, but for KKR the sun will keep on shining for as long as Gayle is out there clubbing rival sides into submission

Kings XI hit by Gayle force

Chris Gayle demonstrated just why he is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket as he used a mix of brute force and great timing to propel KKR to 57 in the sixth over. Brendon MCCullum also known for his cricket savagery added to the fun as he hit VM Malik for a six and a four off consecutive balls before edging one to the wicketkeeper.

But before all this mayhem, it was a sedate beginning for KKR as Irfan Pathan and a stodgy Yusuf Abdulla gave little in terms of width to be exploited by the batsmen.

The Kings XI would be hoping that Gayle does not play long enough.

Knight Ridders chase 158 for victory

Preity Zinta was in a cheery-jumpy mood by the time Kings XI had finished their innings. Some good, clean hitting by Mahela Jayawardene in the last over propelled his team to a decent 158 off their allotted 20 overs. Earlier Taruwar Kohli did little before he skied an edge to McCullum behind the wickets off Dinda’s bowling.

With Chris Gayle and the destructive McCullum to open the innings for the Knight Ridders, Zinta’s Bollywood counterpart, Shah Rukh Khan would be hoping for a better result after their loss in the first match.

Yuvi, Sangakkara fall in quick succession

Kings XI owner, Preity Zinta who probably equates 20-20 cricket to Bollywood’s equation of hits and misses kept a straight face as her good-looking captain Yuvraj milked the Knight Riders’ thin bowling attack to amass 104 at the end of the 14^th over. Her expression didn’t change even after Sangakkara was run out the very next ball thanks to Aakash Chopra’s agility on the field. Yuvraj turned on the heat as he pummeled a six and a four in the very same over to register 122 on the scoreboad. He departed soon after he mistimed a shot straight into the hands of Yashpal Singh at deep midwicket.

Quick wickets send Kings XI reeling

Kings XI lost Ravi Bopara and Irfan Pathan in quick succession as they scored 67-3 before their strategic timeout at the end of the first half of their innings against the Knight Riders. Bengal’s favourite son, Saurav Ganguly finally made a mark in the tournament as he claimed both these wickets with his gentle probing outswingers.

With Yuvraj Sing and Kumar Sangakkra at the crease, runs kept flowing except that the boundaries dried up. Yuvraj even survived a scare after his survived being caught at the ropes after television replays showed that the ball had touched the ground.

Sangakkara had adopted a more cautious approach.

Kings XI make steady progress in match against Knight Riders

Kings XI were put into bat on a wicket expected to offer pace and bounce by the Knight Riders after their skipper Brendon McCullum won the toss. As the 20-20 buzz brought hordes of spectators to the ground in Port Elizabeth, Karan Goel and Ravi Bopara walked into open the innings for the Kings XI. Karan Goel was all at sea against Ishant Sharma as he played and missed before the bowler rid him of his misery by having him caught in the slips by Chris Gayle. Meanwhile Bopra showed more aggression as he sent one crashing to the boundary in Ashok Dunda’s first over. Irfan Pathan who walked in at the fall of the first wicket made his intentions clear as he lashed out at Sharma hitting him for a six and four in the fifth over. Kings XI had made 36 for the loss of one wicket by the time this report had been filed.