Chris ‘Universe Boss’ Gayle hit the first century of the 11th season of the Indian Premier League, as his unbeaten 104 off 63 balls took Kings XI Punjab to a formidable 193/3 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday in Mohali. The target of 194 proved to be 15 runs too many for Hyderabad, who never really tried very hard after opener Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt. This was the Sunrisers’ first defeat of the season after four matches.
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11.54 pm: That’s it from us tonight. Kings XI Punjab sign off from Mohali with a win, thanks to Christopher Henry Gayle. Join us again on Friday as me move to Pune, with Chennai Super Kings scheduled to take on Rajasthan Royals in their adopted home. Good night!
11.52 pm: The Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, is unsurprisingly the man of the match! “Virender Sehwag has saved the IPL by picking me,” he says, with his characteristic quip. “I’m not here to prove anything to be anyone. I just want to move on, enjoy my cricket,” he says.
11.49 pm: Ravi Ashwin is obviously thrilled with his team’s win. “This was a complete performance,” he says in the presentation ceremony. “We could’ve conceded 10 runs fewer to work on the net run rate. It didn’t happen but we’re still happy.”
11.47 pm: Despite it looking as if the Sunrisers never really tried to chase down 194, skipper Kane Williamson does not admit that was the case. “Tonight, our loss wasn’t because of lack of effort,” he says after the match.” Williamson instead put down the defeat to good lengths bowled by Punjab. Hmm...
11.40 pm: The Sunrisers’ first defeat of the season means they cannot dislodge the Kolkata Knight Riders from the top of the table. Kings XI’s third win from four matches also means three teams now have six points at the top, although KKR have played one match more than SRH and KXIP.
11.35 pm: The margin of defeat – 15 runs – may not seem that big but the Sunrisers were never really in this chase ever since Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt early in the innings. Kings XI have shown the rest of the teams how to beat the Sunrisers – put up a big total. Apart from Dhawan, whose fitness is now doubtful, there is no other big hitter in their team and that’s a big problem for them as this season progresses. They need to perhaps bring in Alex Hales into the eleven, but who will sit out?
SRH 178/4 in 20 overs – KXIP win by 15 runs!
Ravi Ashwin decides to bowl the final over of the match himself and gets hit for two back-to-back sixes by Shakib over long-on but that hardly matters. SRH fall short by 15 runs, which means their 100% record is broken. Top performance by Kings XI Punjab!
SRH 161/4 in 19 overs
Manish Pandey smacks Mohit Sharma straight down the ground for six to begin the 19th over but it’s surely too little too late. No other boundaries in the rest of the over result in SRH requiring 33 runs off the final six balls. Meanwhile, Chris Gayle comes back onto the field for the final two overs. He wants to celebrate the win with his team in the middle!
SRH 147/4 in 18 overs
Barinder Sran is back for his final six balls and concedes some extras but still ends up with figures of 0/22 in his four overs. KXIP are almost home. SRH need 47 from 12 balls.
SRH 134/4 in 17 overs – Hooda falls cheaply
Andrew Tye gets another wicket as Deepak Hooda skies him and provides an easy catch for substitute Manoj Tiwary. Tye ends his spell with figures of 2/23. Shakib al Hasan is the new batsman but it’s unlikely he’s going to help SRH pull out 60 runs from the last three overs.
SRH 130/3 in 16 overs
Mujeeb is back for his final over but although he concedes a boundary, he ends his spell with great figures of 0/27. He didn’t take a wicket but kept the runs tight.
SRH 118/3 in 15 overs – Williamson departs after fifty
Andrew Tye is back for his third and Williamson decides to launch him into the stands straight down the ground but mistimes his shot and gives a simple catch to Aaron Finch. King Kane is gone for 54 off 41 balls. Think that’s the game for Punjab!
Deepak Hooda is the new batsman. Still no Dhawan. Don’t think he is going to bat again, which is probably a wise call by SRH considering this game is all but lost. Might as well preserve him for the next match.
SRH 109/2 in 14 overs
Ashwin is back for a third over and he almost gets Pandey caught at long-off but the ball bounces just in front of the fielder. Williamson then clears the boundary with a slog sweep! SRH have finally teed off as Williamson brings up his 50 off 39 balls. He’ll need to score his next 50 in half the number of deliveries if SRH are to win this one. They need 85 off the last six overs.
SRH 96/2 in 13 overs
Mohit Sharma is asked to bowl his third over and bowls a full toss to Manish Pandey, who whacks it to the square-leg boundary. Pandey then gives himself room and swipes Mohit through point for four more off the final ball of the over. Fourteen runs off it. SRH need seven more overs like this one.
SRH 82/2 in 12 overs
Mujeeb is back for a third and again bowls a great over! This is superb bowling from Punjab, but Hyderabad are seriously missing a big hitter. No Warner and, today, no Dhawan as well.
SRH 76/2 in 11 overs
Andrew Tye comes back for a second over and, again, Hyderabad are not able to score any boundaries. Just four runs off it, which means the required rate shoots to more than 13 runs an over.
SRH 72/2 in 10 overs
Mujeeb Ur Rahman hits Williamson in front with a carrom ball and appeals, but the umpire reckons it’s going down leg. Punjab decide to review and lose it as Hawk-Eye says it’s the umpire’s call. They didn’t really need to use the review considering they’re in pole position for a win, but anyway. Another miserly over for Punjab means Hyderabad need 122 runs from the last 10 overs!
SRH 68/2 in 9 overs
Kane Williamson tees off, lofting Ashwin over long-on for a huge six, and then skips down for a single. He needs to anchor this chase for his team, given we still don’t know whether Dhawan will be able to come back to bat. And it’s time for a strategic time-out.
SRH 57/2 in 8 overs
Mujeeb Ur Rahman comes into the attack and bowls a really good first over, conceding only five singles. The Sunrisers really need to get a move on if they want to keep themselves in contention for chasing this down.
SRH 52/2 in 7 overs
Ravi Ashwin brings himself into the attack and bowls a tidy over until Williamson skips down and hits him inside-out over cover for four runs. Meanwhile, this hopefully tongue-in-cheek comment from Sunil Gavaskar on air has triggered Twitter:
SRH 40/2 in 6 overs
Barinder Sran is back for a third and bowls yet another tidy over for Punjab. Just three off it. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan is shown having a laugh outside the dressing room. Looks like the injury isn’t a serious one! Finally some good signs for SRH!
SRH 37/2 in 5 overs – Yusuf departs
Mohit Sharma is back for a second and Yusuf Pathan slaps him through the covers for four to begin. Mohit recovers and varies his pace well to keep the runs down through the rest of the over, and just enough to get Yusuf to cut right back onto his stumps! The Sunrisers are in trouble! Yusuf’s gone for 19 off 13.
SRH 29/1 in 4 overs
And Pathan almost hits the first ball of the fourth bowler straight back to the bowler! It feels just short of Andrew Tye. What a chancy start this has been by Yusuf. Gets a boundary later in the over through midwicket, to settle his nerves.
SRH 22/1 in 3 overs - poor fielding continues
Steady over from Sran, starts off with four balls that go for four singles. A short ball of the fifth is hit straight to Yuvraj Singh at point who pits down an absolute sitter. How times have changed. Pathan has had two reprieves already.
SRH 18/1 in 2 overs - what an eventful over.
Williamson gets going with the classiest of boundaries you’ll see this IPL - just caressing a good length delivery from Mohit Sharma past mid-off. That was delightful! Saha then plays an agricultural hook, goes past short fine leg for four. 12 runs from the first four balls. And then Mohit strikes back with a good length ball - another agricultural heave from Saha, this time he misses it and is bowled.
Yusuf Pathan gets a promotion to No 4 and he should be gone first ball! Mistimes a lofted off-drive, Ashwin mistimes his jump and lets the ball through for a boundary. That really should have been taken.
SRH 2/0 in 1 over
Barinder Sran begins the proceedings for Punjab and he almost traps Wriddhiman Saha leg-before. The umpire reckons it’s not out but KXIP decide to go for a review. Replays show it was indeed pad first and just about clipping the stumps but the decision stays as umpire’s call. Wasted review that in the first over itself as there was enough doubt that the ball was going over the stumps.
Sran then hits Shikhar Dhawan right on the elbow and he hasn’t got any pad on to protect it. Ouch! The physio comes out and tapes up Dhawan’s arm around the elbow. Thankfully, it looks like nothing is broken! Dhawan, however, decides to go off. Big blow this, for SRH. They need a good start. The skipper, Kane Williamson, walks out...with an elbow guard.
9.55 pm: We’re back for the chase! Stay tuned...
9.45 pm: What a knock by this man! Sacrilege that he almost did not get picked in the auction!
9.43 pm: Is it a psychological victory for the Sunrisers that they did not allow Kings XI to reach 200? Don’t think so. This target is not going to be easy, especially since the Hyderabad batsmen haven’t really been tested yet! They haven’t had to chase anything over 150 before this!
KXIP 193/3 in 20 overs
Rashid Khan comes back for his and his team’s final over of the innings and almost traps Gayle leg-before but it’s drifting down leg. Aaron Finch then smacks him wide of long-on for a boundary, and then straight down the ground for six! Rashid has bowled too full tonight and he’s brought his 50 up! Gayle faces the last ball of the innings but misses it! Still steals a run and ends on 104 not out from 63 balls!
KXIP 180/3 in 19 overs
We’ve just got our first centurion of IPL 11 and who else but the Universe Boss! 100 not out off 58 balls! What a knock this has been! He does his baby cradling celebration again! Whattaplaya! But it’s a very tidy over by Siddharth Kaul as he concedes only six runs in it! Great spell of 1/33, given the circumstances, comes to an end.
KXIP 174/3 in 18 overs
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back for his final six balls and he bowls another great over at the death. A knuckle ball gets rid of Karun Nair (31 off 21), who hits him straight to deep mid-wicket! Aaron Finch is the new batsman, but he just needs to give the strike to Gayle! He does and Gayle launches Bhuvi over long-off for a huge six! He’s on 99 off 57 balls!
KXIP 164/2 in 17 overs
Chris Jordan is back for his final over and he errs by bowling short again to Gayle, who pulls it mightily over deep backward square-leg for six! He’s into the nineties! Karun Nair then hits a very attractive inside-out shot over mid-off for four more. He’s made a very useful 30 off 19 balls for his team while Gayle has gone berserk at the other end.
KXIP 151/2 in 16 overs
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back for his third over and does well to quieten things down – temporarily if so – as he concedes only eight runs. Gayle, meanwhile, is putting some serious effort into his running between the wickets. He’s close to 40 years old but he’s still going on and not just in boundaries! He’s on 84 off 51 right now. Can he get to three figures? He’s only three shots away!
KXIP 143/2 in 15 overs
Siddharth Kaul is back into the attack and Karun Nair welcomes him by lofting him straight down the ground for four. Next ball, Nair hits it over mid-off this time for four more! The Kings XI are on course for a big one, here!
KXIP 131/2 in 14 overs
Rashid Khan bowls a wrong ’un to Gayle but it hardly makes a difference to the big man as he cracks him down the ground for a huge six! And then again off the next ball! And then yet again!! And then another one over deep mid-wicket!! Four straight sixes!! Jeez, Rashid Khan, he hasn’t been hit like this for a long time, I reckon! Fasten your seatbelts, folks, the Gayle storm has arrived!!
KXIP 104/2 in 13 overs
Chris Gayle brings up his second half-century of the season and in a row! The fifty is brought up off 39 balls – not his fastest by a distance but he’s not done yet! And to think he almost went unpicked in the auction! Guess who’s thrilled with the decision to pick him at the last moment!
KXIP 100/2 in 12 overs
Shakib al Hasan is back for another over and Nair tries to hit him over long-off and just about succeeds as Manish Pandey catches it inside the boundary but runs over and only manages to throw the ball into the stands! Gayle then clubs another six over long-on and this time it goes well over Pandey’s head. No chance! The 100 is up for Kings XI after 12 overs.
KXIP 86/2 in 11 overs
Siddharth Kaul is back into the attack and he strikes straight away! Mayank Agarwal hits the medium pacer straight to point! Soft dismissal, that! Mayank won’t be pleased with himself. He’s gone for 18 off nine balls. Surprisingly, it’s Karun Nair who comes in at No 4 and not Yuvraj Singh or Aaron Finch!
KXIP 82/1 in 10 overs
Shakib al Hasan is brought into the attack and Agarwal welcomes him by hitting him inside out over cover for four off his first ball. Two deliveries later, Agarwal goes down on his knees and whacks the spinner for a six over long-on! Good over for Kings XI and the Sunrisers could just be chasing their first ever target over 150 in this season.
KXIP 68/1 in 9 overs
Gayle has had enough of these miserly overs from the spinners as he lofts Hooda straight down the ground for a big six! Agarwal then mistimes a swipe that is almost caught by short third-man but it bounces just wide of the fielder and runs down for four.
At the end of the over, it’s time for the first strategic time-out of the match.
KXIP 53/1 in 8 overs
Oh, it’s just a change of ends for Rashid. The Afghani doesn’t seem to have liked being pounded by Gayle in his first over as he flings back the ball hit straight to him by Gayle right back at the stumps. Not sure that was a wise idea against someone like Gayle! However, Rashid gets a wicket in the over as KL misses a sweep and gets trapped leg-before! KL goes for 18 off 21 balls. Mayank Agarwal is the new batsman. Another good over for the Sunrisers. Just two runs and a wicket.
KXIP 51/0 in 7 overs
Deepak Hooda is brought into the attack as Williamson chooses to shield Rashid Khan from a murderous Gayle. Hooda does a good job and concedes just two runs from his first over.
KXIP 49/0 in 6 overs
Siddharth Kaul comes into the attack from the other end and KL Rahul cracks him through cover for a delightful boundary. That must have felt good! The next ball, KL takes the aerial route through the same region and the ball bounces just inside the rope for four more. KXIP get 49 runs from the Powerplay at the loss of no wicket. Good start.
KXIP 38/0 in 5 overs
Just four overs down and Williamson already turns to his trump card, Rashid Khan. Good tactic, you would think, considering Gayle struggles against the wrist spinners. However, the Gayle force makes full use of a full toss and whacks it for another six over mid-wicket! You can’t do that, Rashid! Two deliveries later, Gayle gives himself rooms and smashes another six over long on! He’s raced on to 27 off just 17!
KXIP 25/0 in 4 overs
The Universe Boss unsurprisingly hits the first six of the match as he pulls a short one from Jordan over the deep mid-wicket boundary. The very next ball, Gayle gives himself some width and slashes another short one from Jordan through the cover-point region for four more. The big man has teed off in Mohali!
KXIP 13/0 in 3 overs
KL Rahul scores the first boundary off the bat for his team as he flicks Bhuvneshwar through mid-wicket. Yusuf Pathan tries his best to save it but his legs aren’t as fast as they used to be. Bhuvi almost gets KL leg-before off the next delivery but the batsman is saved by an inside edge. The umpire gives it out but KL immediately reviews and gets it right.
KXIP 8/0 in 2 overs
Chris Jordan shares the new ball with Bhuvi. His first delivery hits Chris Gayle right on his backside (Ouch!) and runs down for four leg-byes. That’ll leave a nice bruise. Gayle tries to punish Jordan with a few swipes and one of them almost carries to mid-on. Just two more runs from that over.
KXIP 2/0 in 1 over
A tentative start from Kings XI as they get just the two singles from the first over. KL nicks Bhuvi through gully, which would have been an easy catch had there been a fielder placed there.
8 pm: And we’re off! Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the ball. KL Rahul takes strike.
7.57 pm: Almost time for live action! Stay tuned...
7.50 pm: A milestone match for Ravi Ashwin tonight.
7.42 pm: Here are the two teams:
Kings XI Punjab XI: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Yuvraj Singh, Aaron Finch, Karun Nair, R Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Shakib al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Chris Jordan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddharth Kaul.
7.35 pm: No changes to the Kings XI team from their previous match. One change for the Sunrisers – Chris Jordan comes in for Billy Stanlake! Kane Richardson does not mention why.
7.34 pm: Kings XI captain Ravi Ashwin has won the toss and opted to bat first! “I’d like to see them chase down a score,” he says. Err...does he not know that the Sunrisers have won all their three matches so far batting second?!
7.28 pm: Meanwhile, KP has got some real issues to deal with.
7.26 pm: Sunil Gavaskar says in his pitch report that there is a nice sheen on the surface and it will be a belter for batting. He reckons the team that wins the toss should chase, which is what the Sunrisers have loved doing so far.
7.22 pm: In case you didn’t know, Chris Gayle and Ravi Ashwin are the players to watch out for in the Kings XI team. Just in case you didn’t know.
7.20 pm: In case you missed Wednesday’s match, Nitish Rana helped put the Kolkata Knight Riders on top of the IPL table. Here’s Bibhash Chatterjee’s piece on the match.
7.10 pm: While we wait for the T20 action to begin, the England and Wales Cricket Board has proposed a new 100-balls-a-side city-based tournament for men and women. According to the proposal, there will be 15 traditional six-ball overs followed by a final 10-ball over.
From 120 balls to 100. Is it really necessary?
Good evening and welcome to The Field’s live blog for match 16 of the 2018 Indian Premier League, between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
The Sunrisers are the only team with a 100% record so far this season with three wins out of as many matches, while Punjab have not done too badly themselves with two wins from three.
Having said that, Kings XI escaped with a narrow four-run win over Chennai Super Kings in their previous match after an MS Dhoni special threatened to derail their defence of 197.
As has been the case in previous seasons, the Sunrisers have relied on their bowling and have opted to chase in each of their three matches so far. The highest total that Hyderabad’s opponents have managed batting first so far is 147, so Punjab captain Ravi Ashwin must really be hoping to win the toss and put the Sunrisers in for a change.
This is also the last real home game for Punjab at the PCA Stadium in Mohali before moving base to Indore and they will be aiming to sign off with a win.