Kings XI Punjab unleashed their Universe Boss on the best bowling attack so far in the tournament. Sunrisers Hyderabad had a taste of the assault from Chris Gayle as the left-handed opener smacked 104* from 63 balls to take the first innings total of Punjab to an impressive 193/3. Worse-hit was Rashid Khan who has hit for four consecutive sixes by Chris Gayle.
Powerplay overs (1-6) – KXIP 49/0
Usually, Punjab has had incredible starts in the tournament. The first match against DD was extremely explosive as KL Rahul blasted the fastest fifty. Tonight against SRH however, the duo of Gayle and Rahul was very much quiet at the beginning. In the first three overs of the powerplay, Rahul-Gayle scored only 13 with Bhuvneshwar and Jordan controlling the flow.
From the fourth over onwards, Gayle began to take his true form. He smacked Jordan with a four and six. Rashin Khan was introduced next. After Saha dropped a tough chance off the first ball, Gayle smacked the afghan bowler for two sixes.
KL Rahul then hit Kaul for two boundaries to take powerplay score to 49. The real assault was yet to come.
Middle overs (7-16) – KXIP 151/2
First two overs after the powerplay were quiet ones. KL Rahul was dismissed for 18(21) by Rashid Khan. Mayank Agarwal then joined Gayle at the center and the duo went berserk. They took 15 and 14 runs each from the overs of Hooda and Shakib. Agarwal was dismissed then by Siddarth Kaul, bringing in Kaul.
Gayle now turned into his beast mode. He smacked Shakib Al Hasan for two humongous sixes. In the 14th overs bowled by Rashid Khan, Gayle fired him for four sixes in four consecutive balls. The legspinner was undergoing such brutality for the first time and looked like he was robbed.
By the end of 16th over, KXIP stood at 151/2 with Gayle’s danger looming large.
Death overs (17-20) – KXIP 193/3
SRH to an extent managed to pull back things in the last four overs with their ace bowlers doing the job. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave only 10 runs in the 18 overs despite Gayle’s six on the last ball, Siddarth Kaul contained KXIP for only six runs in the penultimate over. Rashid Khan who had an off day tonight was hit for another six and four, this time by Aaron Finch.
Gayle who completed his 21st T20 century in just 58 balls and remained not out 104 runs from 63 balls. Rashid Khan was hit for 54 runs in his four overs. Bhuvi ended the most economical with giving away only 25 runs.
SRH are now facing a huge challenge of 194 runs in front of them.
