This year’s Kings XI Punjab campaign is not all about Glenn Maxwell and David Miller only. There are little known heroes too. Manan Vohra (47 off 20 balls), getting his first match, and Wriddhiman Saha (54 off 26 balls) displayed amazing batting skills at the top to star in Kings XI successful run chase of 206.
The second wicket set the ball rolling with a scintillating stand of 91 off 41 balls before the aggressive Maxwell (43 off 22 balls) and skipper George Bailey (35 not out off 19 balls) made a mockery of the target. This was the second time that Kings XI successfully chased over 200-run target.
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It was all misery for Sunrisers despite a super batting effort by Naman Ojha, who had made an unbeaten 79 off 36 balls. On a day when it rained sixes - there were a total of 24 with both the teams sharing the honour with 12 each - the elegant Ojha took the cake with seven sixes to set up a big total but in the end it was a futile effort as Kings XI replied majestically to record their eighth win from ten matches. With this win, Kings XI displaced Chennai Super Kings (who also have 16 points) at the top.
This was the second highest run chase at this venue. In 2008, CSK made 217 for 7 against Deccan Chargers, who posted 214 for 5.
But it was not all that rosy at the start. Virender Sehwag was gone off the second ball, caught and bowled by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. The start was perfect for Sunrisers. However, for the next 7.1 overs, unheralded Vohra and Saha took the battle into the enemy’s batting. They took the bull by its horns. Batting with gay abandon, man of the match Saha mauled the home team attack.
Beginning with an extra cover drive off Kumar, Saha blasted the Sunrisers attack. He was severe in Kumar’s second over, hitting him for three fours. It opened the floodgates.
On the other hand, Vohra, too, executed batting skills that stunned the Sunrisers’ team. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan looked hapless. The bowling collapsed as Saha and Vohra made mincemeat of what supposed to be the best attack of this year’s competition.
The fleet-footed Saha raced off to his 50 off 22 balls. Karn Sharma brought smiles back by having Saha stumped. But the ordeal did not end there.
Maxwell defended one ball before hoisting Karn Sharma for three massive sixes.
However, Vohra was unfortunately run-out three short of a well-deserved half-century. He backed too far to be run out.
The 100 came off 7.3 overs. Sunrisers had a chance to dismiss Maxwell when he was on 23 but Amit Mishra was guilty of over-stepping. Then there was more misery with KL Rahul dropping a skier, all in Mishra’s second over.
With that Sunrisers hopes disappeared as Maxwell went on his big-hitting spree before he fell for 43 but by then the Kings were on course. Bailey repeated the Cuttack show, hammering Steyn for 22 runs with two sixes and two fours.