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Kings XI Punjab vs Hyderabad Live Commentary, Match 16, Indian Premier League, 2018, April 19, 2018

KXIP 193/3 (20)
Kings XI Punjab beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs
SRH 178/4 (20)
Match over
Kings XI Punjab Inning Sunrisers Hyderabad Inning
0.0 : Hello and Good evening to all! We are all ready for Match 17 to get underway. Compared to past season's Punjab have got off to a shipshape start and they will hope they carry on this momentum with them. Their openers have been hitting gold and many hope will lie on them to provide the similar start. Spin has been their strength and Ashwin will look to rotate them well. On the flip side Hyderabad, are having a fairy-tale ride. They have won all their games so far and will look to make it four in
PITCH REPORT - Sunil Gavaskar doing the pitch report says that it is very good for batting but opines that it will help the new ball bowlers because of the little grass on it. States that there was slight rain before but it won't interfere with today's play. Ends by saying that the captains will win the toss and look to chase the target.
TOSS - Punjab win the toss and... What do we have here? For a change, the team winning the toss, after 15 games, will bat first!
Ravichandran Ashwin says that they have a strong batting line-up and want to express themselves without any pressure. He continues saying that their batting has been their strength and hence he opted to bat first. Opines that they have good momentum and want to carry that forward by playing their best cricket.
Kane Williamson states that there will be a little dew towards the end so it will be important for them to do well with the ball. Opines that Gayle and co. are power-hitters and they will try to get the better of them as soon as possible. Ends by saying that they have made one change to their side where Billy Stanlake makes way for Chris Jordan.
The Hyderabad players march out to take the field. The umpires are in position. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul will open the batting for Punjab. Boy! If these two get going there is no stopping them. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will bowl with the new ball and will hope he gets some swing in these conditions. A slip in place. Let's play!
0.1 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Comes from over the wicket and pitches it up around that fourth stump channel. Rahul strides forward and drives it to covers. A shot full of confidence that.
0.2 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Another ball pitched up from Bhuvi around off, Rahul stays back and punches this to mid off.
0.3 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Searching for swing is Bhuvi and lands this full on off, Rahul gently pushes this to the fielder at covers.
0.4 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Strays this down the leg side this time. Full around the pads of Rahul who misses his flick. Gets hit on the thigh pad and it goes back to the keeper.
0.5 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Ohh!!! Bowls this full on off, Rahul closes the bat face early trying to flick it on the on side. Gets a leading edge towards third man for one.
0.6 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Quick run from Gayle! Something you don't see often. Gayle taps this ball to the leg side and takes giant strides to reach the other end.
Chris Jordan will bowl from the other end.
1.1 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Back of a length ball on off, Gayle rocks back and punches this to the off side.
1.2 : C Jordan to C Gayle, FOUR LEG BYES! Short of a length ball again from Jordan this time down leg. Gayle looks to tuck it away but gets wore on the thigh pad. The ball rolls past a diving Saha and races to the fence.
1.3 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Outside off, Gayle is happy to leave that alone.
1.4 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Length ball outside off, Chris looks to slap this ball away but gets beaten for pace.
1.5 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Lucky! Digs this one short around off, Gayle tries to hit this with a cross bat down the ground. Gets it low on the bat and the ball just evades the fielder at mid off. They pick up two runs for it.
1.6 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Length ball around off, Gayle defends this to mid off.
2.1 : B Kumar to L Rahul, FOUR! Knuckle ball from Bhuvi, bowls this full on middle and leg, Rahul whips this away through mid-wicket. Pathan chases it but only comes second best.
0.0 : Rahul has gone up as an LBW decision is gone against him. He must have felt an inside edge there as he straight away went the the TV umpire for it.
2.2 : B Kumar to L Rahul, NOT OUT! Rahul knew it straight away. As soon as he seen the finger gone up he signallad the 'T'. Length ball from Kumar on off, Rahul tries to work this to the leg side but gets hit on the pads. As the ball rolls towards the third man boundary, Kumar goes up in appeal to see the slow finger of the umpire being raised. Rahul takes it up and thank god to DRS that we seen an inside edge to it. Rahul survives an LBW scare. That ball had gone to the ropes but because of a re
2.3 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Full on leg, Rahul hits this to mid on.
2.4 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Back of a length ball around off, Rahul hangs back and punches this to covers.
2.5 : B Kumar to L Rahul, Rahul drives this past covers mid off for a run.
2.6 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Good length ball around off, it shapes away a tad after pitching and Gayle with no foot movement misses his shot.
3.1 : C Jordan to L Rahul, Full balll around off, Rahul gets it with the inner half back to the bowler.
3.2 : C Jordan to L Rahul, Gets this past mid off to give Gayle the strike.
3.3 : C Jordan to C Gayle, SIX! HUGE! Bagged in short by Jordan, Gayle stays back and pulls this over mid-wicket for a biggie!
3.4 : C Jordan to C Gayle, FOUR! Follows the maximum with a boundary. Lofts this over covers and the ball races away.
3.5 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Short again on middle and leg, Gayle pulls this front of square for one.
3.6 : C Jordan to L Rahul, Pitches it up on middle and off, KL pushes this to covers.
Rashid Khan is into the attack now.
4.1 : R Khan to C Gayle, Dropped! Big chance goes down! Difficult to take, but drop Gayle at your own peril. Lovely stuff from Rashid Khan straightaway. Bowls the googly around off, it keeps a touch low and spins away. Gayle looks to put bat on ball but gets a bottom edge which goes behind and off Saha. Came quickly towards him.
4.2 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! Juicy fulls toss from Khan and Gayle has put that away. High on the hips, there for Chris Gayle to smack and he does exactly that. Muscles the pull over mid-wicket and that's a biggie.
4.3 : R Khan to C Gayle, Outside off, quicker in pace, Chris swings and misses.
4.4 : R Khan to C Gayle, Stays back and keeps it out off the back foot.
4.5 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! He's timing them crisply this evening. BANG! What a hit. Tossed up on middle and off, Gayle clears his front leg and smokes it over the long on fence for a biggie.
4.6 : R Khan to C Gayle, Driven towards mid on for a quick one.
Siddarth Kaul to bowl his first over.
5.1 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Back of a length ball on off, Gayle taps this to mid off and gets to the other end.
5.2 : S Kaul to L Rahul, Full this time on leg, Rahul works this to mid-wicket.
5.3 : S Kaul to L Rahul, Full around off, KL plays this with soft hands to mid off and sprints to the non-striker's end.
5.4 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Brings his length back a tad, Gayle gets it off the inner half to mid off for one.
5.5 : S Kaul to L Rahul, FOUR! SHOT! Exquisite from Rahul. Full ball around off, Rahul holds his pose and drives this in the gap through covers.
5.6 : S Kaul to L Rahul, FOUR! Aerial this time! Full again on off, KL Lofts this over covers for back-to-back boundaries. 49/0 after the Powerplay.
Deepak Hooda to roll his arm now.
6.1 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Tosses this full around off, Gayle cuts it to point.
6.2 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Gayle charges to this ball and plays it to long on for one. 50 up for Punjab. These two are looking good for a big total.
6.3 : D Hooda to L Rahul, Short ball around off, Rahul rocks back and cuts this to deep point for just one.
6.4 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Floated ball on middle and leg, Gayle takes a big step forward and defends it.
6.5 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Drives this superbly to covers but straight to the fielder.
6.6 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Hooda pitches this on middle and it skids onto Gayle. Chris comes ahead to block it. The fielders appeal but that was certainly going down leg.
Rashid Khan gets a change of ends.
7.1 : R Khan to L Rahul, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total.
7.2 : R Khan to C Gayle, Googly from Rashid, Gayle mistimes it back to Rashid.
7.3 : R Khan to C Gayle, Works this through mid-wicket for a single.
7.4 : R Khan to L Rahul, Rahul hangs back and dabs this to the man at point.
7.5 : R Khan to L Rahul, OUT! Easy decision for the umpire to give! Rashid Khan draws first blood. He has this nack of not only stopping the runs but also picking up wickets. Tosses this one up on off, Rahul goes on one knee and looks to pull this to square leg. He misses it completely and gets hit on the thigh. Rashid appeals and the umpire takes no time in raising his finger. Rahul does not bother taking the DRS and has a smile as he goes back to the dressing room.
Mayank Agarwal is the new man in.
7.6 : R Khan to M Agarwal, Mayank cuts this to the point fielder.
8.1 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Wide.
D Hooda to C Gayle, SIX! Not the cleanest of strikes, but Gayle is a powerful man. Anything he hits stays hit. Tossed up on off from around the wicket, the big West Indian pummels it hard and flat straight back down the ground for half a dozen.
8.2 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Slider going down, Gayle walks down the track, looks to work it on the leg side. Gets it there, but off the thigh pad. One leg bye taken.
8.3 : D Hooda to M Agarwal, FOUR! Streaky runs, but runs nonetheless. Loopy and fuller outside off, Agarwal reaches out to it, looks to slap it through the covers but gets an edge past short third man for a boundary.
8.4 : D Hooda to M Agarwal, Drifting in on middle and leg, knocked to long on for a single.
8.5 : D Hooda to C Gayle, Darted quicker on middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for one.
8.6 : D Hooda to M Agarwal, Just behind the driving length, swept through mid-wicket for a single.
The first strategic break of the game has been taken. Punjab are going at a good rate here but will be unhappy with the loss of KL Rahul. The whole of Mohali will hope that Gayle carries on from here.
Shakib Al Hasan is introduced into the attack.
9.1 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, FOUR. Welcomes Shakib with a boundary. Hasan bowls this full around off, Mayank gets on one knee and lofts this over covers in the gap for a boundary.
9.2 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, Pushes this through mid off for a run now. Smart batting.
9.3 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, Fires this on leg, Gayle hits it to long on for one more.
9.4 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, SIX! BIG! Loppy ball on middle and leg, Mayank gets low and smacks this over long on for a biggie!
9.5 : Al Hasan to M Agarwal, Goes for the big shot again but this time it goes to the fielder at long on, on the bounce. They cross.
9.6 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, Gayle works this square of the wicket for a run.
Siddarth Kaul is brought back into the attack.
10.1 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Slow outside off, Gayle hits this to sweeper cover to rotate strike.
10.2 : S Kaul to M Agarwal, OUT! Soft, soft dismissal this from Kaul. He got himself set and was hitting the ball well. Will surely be disappointed with this shot. Kaul lands this outside off, Mayank looks to cut this late and reaches for this ball. He ends up giving it straight to Hooda at backward point. An important wicket for Hyderabad.
Karun Nair joins Gayle in the middle.
10.3 : S Kaul to K Nair, Drives this through covers to get off the mark in a smooth manner.
10.4 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Outside off, GAyle gets an bottom edge to this to the keeper trying to cut it away.
10.5 : S Kaul to C Gayle, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. The batsmen have run through for a single.
10.6 : S Kaul to K Nair, Nair whips this to deep cow corner for a run.
11.1 : Al Hasan to K Nair, SIX! What an effort Manish! But his momentum takes him back of the ropes. Loppy ball on off, Nair lofts this over covers. Pandey near the boundary line caught it and then realized that he was going behind the rope. Tosses the ball up but throws it back into the stands. Good try though!
11.2 : Al Hasan to K Nair, Pushes this to the off side for a run.
11.3 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, Full on middle and leg, Gayle digs it out in time.
11.4 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, Sweeps this straight to the short fine leg fielder.
11.5 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, SIX! HUGE! Tossed up ball in line of the stumps, Gayle backs away and lofts this over mid on for half a dozen.
11.6 : Al Hasan to C Gayle, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single.
Chris Jordan to bowl his third over.
12.1 : C Jordan to C Gayle, FIFTY for Gayle! This 23rd Indian T20 League! What a player this guy is. Full from Jordan, Gayle hits it to the off side to get to the milestone.
12.2 : C Jordan to K Nair, Directs this on leg, Nair helps it around the corner for one.
12.3 : C Jordan to C Gayle, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. One run added to the total.
12.4 : C Jordan to K Nair, Outside off, Nair cuts it to the point fielder.
12.5 : C Jordan to K Nair, Back of a length ball on leg, Nair tries to whip this away but gets hit on his thigh pad.
12.6 : C Jordan to K Nair, Works this off his pads behind square for a run.
Rashid Khan is back into the attack.
13.1 : R Khan to K Nair, Nair hits this through mid-wicket for one more.
13.2 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! Biggie! Tossed up ball on middle and off, Gayle clears his front foot and lofts this over long off.
13.3 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! Another one! Rashid shortens his length, Gayle hangs back and slaps this down the ground for a maximum!
13.4 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! Oh boy! He is not afraid to take on the number one T20 bowler in the world. Gets under the ball and wacks over the bowlers head straight to the sight screen.
13.5 : R Khan to C Gayle, SIX! Chris Gayle is on fire! Four back-to-back sixes from the Universe Boss. Floated ball in line of the stumps, Gayle slogs sweeps this over mid-wicket into the stands.
13.6 : R Khan to C Gayle, And now takes two runs! Gayle is giving his everything in this game. Pushes this through covers and rushes back for the second run. What an over for Punjab, 27 of it.
Siddarth Kaul is back on. Hyderabad need a wicket, Gayle is taking the game away from them.
14.1 : S Kaul to K Nair, The 50-run stand is up! Nicely done. Gayle has done the bulk of the scoring in it, but Nair is the one to bring it up. He lofts it over mid-wicket and comes back for the second.
14.2 : S Kaul to K Nair, FOUR! Beautiful! Fuller in length, on the stumps, Nair stays leg side and with the full face of the bat, lofts it over mid off to send it across the boundary line.
14.3 : S Kaul to K Nair, FOUR! This is a brilliant shot. Fuller in length once more, this time Karun Nair opens his body up a bit, takes a step out and nicely lofts it over wide mid off for consecutive boundaries. Already a big over for Punjab. 10 runs in the first 3 balls.
14.4 : S Kaul to K Nair, Driven through mid on for an easy single.
14.5 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Low full toss just outside off, Gayle drives it off the toe end, straight to the man at point.
14.6 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Good ball. Well played too. Yorker fired in on leg, Chris flicks this well towards wide long on and will retain strike with a single. 12 runs off the over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl another over.
15.1 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Gets this behind point and will get two runs for it.
15.2 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Another brace for Gayle! Hits this towards the cow corner and back for the second run. Amazing from Chris.
15.3 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Length ball on leg, Gayle stays back and flat bats it down the ground for one.
15.4 : B Kumar to K Nair, Down the leg side from Bhuvi, Karun helps it on it's way to fine leg for a run.
15.5 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Played to the point region by the batsman. The batsmen have run through for a single.
15.6 : B Kumar to K Nair, Nair plays this through covers and will retain strike for the next over.
A much needed strategic break for Hyderabad. They need a plan to get stop getting Galye hitting them to all the parts of the ground.
Chris Jordan to bowl out his overs.
16.1 : C Jordan to K Nair, Wide. Tries to play with the batter and drifts this far to wide for Karun to play it. The umpire has signalled a wide.
C Jordan to K Nair, Full around off, Nair hits it along the turf for a single.
16.2 : C Jordan to C Gayle, SIX! Catching practice for the crowd! Short ball from Jordan, Gayle pulls this over square leg for a biggie!
16.3 : C Jordan to C Gayle, Full outside off this time, Gayle hits it past mid off to give his partner the strike.
16.4 : C Jordan to K Nair, FOUR! Karun's batting has been under Gayle's shadow but he is playing a similar innings here! Full ball around off, Karun lofts it handsomely over the inner circle over covers.
16.5 : C Jordan to K Nair, Good ball from Jordan, Fires in a yorker outside off and Karun fails to put bat to ball.
16.6 : C Jordan to K Nair, Good finish to the over. Outside off again, Karun plays along the wrong line and completely misses it.
17.1 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Overthrows! Unnecessary from Kane! Fuller ball from Bhuvi on off, Gayle hits it to covers. Williamson has a shy at the stumps and since Bhuvi was not backing up, they steal a run.
17.2 : B Kumar to K Nair, In the air...but safe! Full again on off, Nair lofts it over covers for just one.
17.3 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Wide. This one is down the leg side and the batsman leaves it alone. The Umpire signals a wide.
B Kumar to C Gayle, Pushes this past covers and gets to the other end. Good ball from Bhuvi.
17.4 : B Kumar to K Nair, OUT! Nair holes out! Slower ball in line of the stumps, Nair connects it well but ends up giving it straight down the neck of Dhawan at deep cow corner. A good innings comes to the end and finally a wicket to Bhuvi.
Aaron Finch is the next man in.
17.5 : B Kumar to C Gayle, Gayle has worked it off his pads behind square.
17.6 : B Kumar to C Gayle, SIX! BOOOMMM!!! A maximum to end the over! Full ball outside off, Gayle makes room and hits this over covers for another biggie!
Siddarth Kaul to bowl his last over.
18.1 : S Kaul to A Finch, Finch gets off the mark in this year's Indian T20 League. A huge cheer from the crowd. Drives this through covers to get a run after two golden ducks.
18.2 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Sixth Indian T20 League hundred! What a player! Takes his helmet off and soaks in the applause from the crowd. Gayle taps this to point to get there with a single.
18.3 : S Kaul to A Finch, Finch punches this to the off side to give Gayle the strike.
18.4 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Almost gets run out now! Hits this to extra cover and Kane has a shy at the stumps at the bowler's end. He misses and Gayle survives.
18.5 : S Kaul to A Finch, Good yorker from Kaul, Finch digs it out in time. Single taken.
18.6 : S Kaul to C Gayle, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. They pick up a single.
Rashid Khan to bowl the final over.
19.1 : R Khan to C Gayle, Big shout for an lbw, not given! That was a close call. Maybe going down leg. From around the wicket, Rashid fires it quicker on leg, it's sliding down as Gayle swings across the line and misses. Is caught on the back pad. Nothing from the umpire.
19.2 : R Khan to C Gayle, Smacked hard! Full on off, hit powerfully through the right of the bowler, towards long off for a single.
19.3 : R Khan to A Finch, FOUR! We know he can do this. Everybody knows. Finch is a quality player. Tossed right up there, Aaron backs away a touch and lofts it over mid-wicket for a boundary.
19.4 : R Khan to A Finch, SIX! BANG! He's back! Tossed up on middle and off, Finch makes room, clears his front leg and smokes this straight back over the bowler's head for a biggie.
19.5 : R Khan to A Finch, Hits this through mid-wicket and gets to the other end.
19.6 : R Khan to C Gayle, Last ball of the over and a single results, off an overthrow. Full, quick and flat around off, Gayle looks to smash this through the covers but gets an inside edge onto his pads. It rolls away on the off side as Saha gets to it. Seeing the batsmen trying to take a run, he misses his shy at the bowler's end and concedes the run anyway. So, with that, PUNJAB FINISH ON 193/3!
Christopher Henry Gayle! Take a bow son! What an innings from the Universe Boss. Proving a point to the whole world that he still has it ink him. And this innings was not only about hard hitting, he ran his singles hard and earned it.
After a skipper first time decided to bat first, Rahul and Gayle gave just the start Punjab needed. The former fell cheaply but Mayank and then Karun joined forces with Gayle to ensure that Punjab reach close to the 200 mark. The big West Indian got yo his 6th League 100 and played superbly to get there.
The Hyderabad bowlers were taken all over the park and were poor in the field too, they didn't drop any catches but gave away runs too cheaply. Except for their pace bowlers, Bhuvi and Jordan, others failed to apply the breaks to the Punjab innings. Rashid Khan now has is worst ever spell in an T20 innings going for 55 runs in four overs. Still a good wicket to bat on though as Gayle mentioned and Hyderabad have the power in them to do that. The start will be crucial, let's see how they pan out.
0.0 : We are back for the chase! Dhawan and Saha will open the innings for Hyderabad. They will look to make the most of this Powerplay and get off to the perfect start. Barinder Sran will bowl the first over. A slip in place. Play says Nigell Llong!
0.1 : B Sran to W Saha, Wide. Strays it down the leg and not the start he would have liked! Wide signallad by the umpire.
B Sran to W Saha, Back of a length ball on off, Saha punches this to covers.
An LBW decision is taken upstairs. Saha is the man in question. Maybe height is an issue.
0.2 : B Sran to W Saha, NOT OUT! Umpire's call! Height was an issue but that was going on to clip the bails. Sran lands this on a good length on middle and leg, comes into Saha who hops and misses his flick. The ball hits his pads and the players appeal but the umpire stays put. They take the review and we see that it was pad first and then bat but the ball would have just clipped the top of off stump. Saved as the original decision was not out!
0.3 : B Sran to W Saha, Almost! Saha drives this upplishly towards covers just short of the man stationed there.
0.4 : B Sran to W Saha, Drags his length back, Saha pulls it front of square for a run.
0.5 : B Sran to S Dhawan, This doesn't look good! Short ball again around off, Dhawan looks to pull it away but gets hit on his forearm. His is down in pain and out come the physios to help him.
OUCH! Nasty! Dhawan has been hit on his elbow trying to defend the ball.
Kane Williamson is in. Unfortunately, Dhawan cannot continue as the pain is too much. He goes out of the ground and the skipper will replace him. Surely not the start Hyderabad wanted.
0.6 : B Sran to K Williamson, Fires this full on leg, Kane tucks it away to the leg side. Good over for Sran, just two from it.
Mohit Sharma will share the new ball.
1.1 : M Sharma to W Saha, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single.
1.2 : M Sharma to K Williamson, FOUR! Glorious cover drive from Williamson! Pitched up ball on off, Kane leans forward and crisply drives it through covers.
1.3 : M Sharma to K Williamson, Now flicks it through mid-wicket for another good shot. It won't go all the way but enough for them to pick up three runs.
1.4 : M Sharma to W Saha, FOUR! Short ball on leg, Shah stays back and pulls it front of square for a boundary.
1.5 : M Sharma to W Saha, OUT! What a comeback from Mohit! gets his man and sends Saha back for an early shower. Rolled his fingers on this and serves it on off, Saha is early into his sweep and the ball goes past his bat to hit furniture. The LED lights flash and Mohali is on their feet.
Yusuf Pathan is the new man in.
1.6 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, FOUR! Fuller ball around off, Pathan lofts this over mid off, Ashwin mistimes his jump and the ball goes past him to the fence.
2.1 : B Sran to K Williamson, Back of a length delivery just outside off, Williamson is back in a flash and pulls it along the ground through mid-wicket for a single.
2.2 : B Sran to Y Pathan, Good length delivery, slants it across around off, Pathan comes half-forward and then blocks it in front of cover.
2.3 : B Sran to Y Pathan, Fuller and slower, on the pads, Pathan gently taps it on the leg side and both batsmen cross over quickly.
2.4 : B Sran to K Williamson, Neatly done. Williamson works this off his pads through to deep mid-wicket and takes a single.
2.5 : B Sran to Y Pathan, Dropped! The easiest of catches you can ever have, and it's put down by one of the best fielders around. Back of a length outside off, Pathan cuts this towards Yuvraj at cover-point. It's right at him, he raises his hands over his head to take it, but it pops right out. Single taken.
2.6 : B Sran to K Williamson, Manages to stop this one at least. Shortish in length outside off, Williamson punches this towards Yuvraj in the same area, but this time he moves to his right and saves the run.
Andrew Tye is into the attack now.
3.1 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Well short! Tye with a fullish length ball around off, Pathan checks his shot back in the bowler's direction. Andrew leans forward in his followthrough to catch it, but it's short.
3.2 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Shaping back in on middle and leg, worked away on the leg side for a run.
3.3 : A Tye to K Williamson, The batsman opens the face of the bat and helps it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single.
3.4 : A Tye to Y Pathan, FOUR! That should give him some confidence. Full and coming in on middle and leg, Pathan flicks it elegantly over the mid-wicket area and finds the fence.
3.5 : A Tye to Y Pathan, Pushes this back down the ground, through mid off, for an easy single.
3.6 : A Tye to K Williamson, Fires it up there again, Williamson pushes it to the covers. End of the over.
Mohit Sharma to have a change of ends.
4.1 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, FOUR! Boundary to begin things. Just back of a length outside off, Yusuf Pathan slaps this off the back foot through the covers. Across the rope and that's a nice shot.
4.2 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, Slower short ball outside off, Yusuf drags the pull along the ground through mid-wicket and gets a single to his name.
4.3 : M Sharma to K Williamson, Straying around leg, Kane looks to work it away, but it goes off the pads on the leg side. Leg bye taken.
4.4 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, Banged well outside off, too wide for Pathan to make contact. He lets it be.
4.5 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, Short in length again, around off, Pathan pulls it away through wide mid on for a couple of runs.
4.6 : M Sharma to Y Pathan, OUT! He's dragged it on! Yusuf Pathan departs as Mohit Sharma has his second of the game. Back of a length, quite close to off and slower in pace. It's the lack of pace which probably does the batsman in. He attempts to punch it through the off side, but gets an inside edge back onto his stumps. Unfortunate end, Pathan had the perfect chance tonight to make an impact. Had settled in too.
Manish Pandey is the new man in.
Barinder Sran back on.
5.1 : B Sran to K Williamson, Served on a good length, outside off, punched to the cover area.
5.2 : B Sran to K Williamson, Fraction straight in line, Williamson tucks it square of the wicket on the leg side and calls his partner through.
5.3 : B Sran to M Pandey, Outside off in the fourth stump channel, Pandey waits for the ball to come before opening the face and running it down to third man. One run to the total.
5.4 : B Sran to K Williamson, Williamson makes a lot of room, shows all three stumps, then nudges the ball off his pads through short fine leg for one run.
5.5 : B Sran to M Pandey, Full ball attacking the stumps, driven towards mid on.
5.6 : B Sran to M Pandey, Good delivery to end the over. Yorker speared outside off, Pandey can't make any kind of connection on it.
Ravichandran Ashwin calls himself on to have a bowl.
6.1 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, Full in line of the stumps, knocked down towards long on for a single.
6.2 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Tossed up leg break on middle and leg, Pandey plants his front foot forward and drives it to long off for one run.
6.3 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, Seeing Williamson dance down, Ashwin bowls it short. Kane then whips it through mid-wicket and crosses over.
6.4 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Wide! Down the leg side, wide signalled by the umpire. Rahul misses it, so the batsmen take a single as well.
R Ashwin to M Pandey, Makes good use of the feet to get close to the pitch and then finds the gap in the covers for a couple.
6.5 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, FOUR! The 50 is up for Hyderabad with this. Pandey steps out again, opens his body up and then lofts it over covers for a boundary.
6.6 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. One run added to the total.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman to bowl now.
7.1 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Some decent air on this one from Mujeeb, Kane uses his feet and then pushes it to long on for a single.
7.2 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Lands the leg break on middle and off, Pandey closes the face to flick and gets a leading edge towards long off for a single.
7.3 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, The batsman charges down the wicket and flicks it on the leg side. One run added to the total.
7.4 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Quick and flat, on middle and off, worked through mid-wicket for a single.
7.5 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Pushes it wide of the bowler for a single.
7.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Lovely delivery. Mujeeb drops it around off, Pandey plays inside the line and gets beaten past the edge.
8.1 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, SIX! Launched that! In complete control of that shot! Seeing the flight, Williamson gets his dancing shoes on and then bangs it over long on for a maximum.
8.2 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, Spinning away from around off, on a shorter length, punched off the back foot through to sweeper cover for a run.
8.3 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Comes half-forward and then knocks it to long on for one more.
8.4 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, A step out of the track, then a cut through the gap in the off side for a single.
8.5 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Lofts it over the leg side and rotates strike.
8.6 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, Spinning with a considerable amount. Kane doesn't pick it up at first, but since he's deep inside the crease he has time to punch it to long off and retain strike with a single.
Strategic break!
Review taken. Quite strange really. Doesn't really look out at all to the naked eye. But then, Ashwin has seen things which most have missed in the earlier games. Let's see now...
9.1 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Not out! Umpire's call, so not as far away as most would think. Review is gone, but it's not wasted as such. Williamson gives a charge, comes a long way down and is caught on the pads as he looks to work it on the leg side. Stifled shout, the umpire says no, but Ashwin wants to review it. Replays roll in and show the ball would have clipped the leg stump. So the on-field call stays.
9.2 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Stays on the back foot and hits it through the gap in the mid-wicket area for a double.
9.3 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Easily played through to long on and a single is taken.
9.4 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Floats it up outside off, Pandey plays with the spin as he pushes it to the covers.
9.5 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Punched off the back foot, through the covers, for a single this time.
9.6 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Pushes it away from his body on the off side. Dot ball to end the over. Hyderabad need 122 to win off 60 balls.
Andrew Tye is called back on.
10.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Good length ball, quite close to off, gently tapped on the off side by Pandey.
10.2 : A Tye to M Pandey, Close. Tye bowls it full, Pandey lofts it over mid on. Doesn't get under it, so it travels flat towards the man in the deep. He comes running in, dives forward but it falls short. The batsmen take one.
10.3 : A Tye to K Williamson, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball.
10.4 : A Tye to K Williamson, On a good length and just around off, Williamson moves across his sticks to paddle this away, but gets it off the thigh pad behind where Rahul moves to his left and collects it. A leg bye is collected.
10.5 : A Tye to M Pandey, Driven through the mid off region for an easy run.
10.6 : A Tye to K Williamson, Similar shot, similar area. Same result. One run.
11.1 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Skidding off the surface, on middle and leg, the Hyderabad skipper looks to sweep but gets it off the pads away on the leg side. Leg bye taken.
11.2 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Wrong 'un outside off, spinning in, Pandey checks the push to covers and takes a single.
11.3 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Worked away through mid-wicket by Williamson. Runs hard, comes back for the second as there is a shy at his end. It misses and he survives.
11.4 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, The batsman has punched that ball through the off side.
11.5 : Ur Rahman to K Williamson, Comes down the track and then slaps it through the covers for one more.
11.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Slider skidding in on middle and leg, Pandey uses the depth of the crease to go back and then work it through square leg for a single.
Mohit Sharma into the bowling attack again.
12.1 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Landed on a good length in the channel outside off, Manish Pandey offers a firm punch through the covers and takes two.
12.2 : M Sharma to M Pandey, FOUR! The 50-partnership is up with that. Nice way to get it done. Full on the pads, Pandey flicks it with the wrists aerially through mid-wicket for a boundary.
12.3 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Thinking two. Pushing for two and get it too. good running. Pandey flicks it through mid-wicket again, Williamson calls for the second quickly and gets it too.
12.4 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Back of a length outside off, slapped square of the wicket on the off side for a run.
12.5 : M Sharma to K Williamson, Takes the pace off this one, cleverly disguised. Williamson doesn't pick it up, slaps it off the toe end towards long on. Single taken.
12.6 : M Sharma to M Pandey, FOUR! Boundary to end the over. A good one for Hyderabad, 14 from it. Pandey reaches out to this fullish delivery well outside off and slices it through backward point to send it across the rope. 98 needed off 42.
Ravichandran Ashwin is back.
13.1 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, Gives the charge to Ashwin and slogs it through mid-wicket for a single.
13.2 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Pandey too walks down the track to the bowler, then works it around the corner for a couple of runs.
13.3 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Wide! Too far outside off, from the other side of the tramline and that's a wide.
R Ashwin to M Pandey, Just short, but a good effort from Manoj Tiwary. Pandey lofts it towards long on, where Tiwary covers a lot of ground to his left, dives but the ball falls agonizingly short of his palms. Single taken.
13.4 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, SIX! Williamson is keeping the fight going. It's dropped short, so he rocks back and muscles the pull over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie.
13.5 : R Ashwin to K Williamson, 5th Indian T20 League for Kane Williamson! Punches it through the off side and calls his partner through.
13.6 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Wide! The ball is down the leg side but the batsman still goes after it. Wide signalled by the umpire.
R Ashwin to M Pandey, Outside off, slapped square on the off side but straight to the fielder.
Andrew Tye returns.
14.1 : A Tye to K Williamson, FOUR! Back of a length delivery angling back in, Williamson swivels and then pulls it along the ground behind square leg for a boundary.
14.2 : A Tye to K Williamson, OUT! Williamson departs! Was bound to happen it seems. The scoring rate was climbing, he had to go for it. Length ball slower in pace around off, the Hyderabad skipper charges out and attempts to clear the long off fence. Doesn't get enough on it and skies it in the same area. Aaron Finch settles himself under it and takes a good catch. A fighting knock from Kane comes to an end.
Strategic break signalled by the umpire.
Deepak Hooda is the new man in for Hyderabad. His team requires 81 to win in 34 deliveries.
14.3 : A Tye to M Pandey, Gets it away with a punch to long on. Was on a length and in line of the stumps, Manish plays it with ease.
14.4 : A Tye to D Hooda, Slightly fuller in length, outside off, Hooda smacks this through the gap in the cover region and gets off the mark with a double.
14.5 : A Tye to D Hooda, Two more. Full in length on middle and off, driven firmly over his partner's head, towards long on.
14.6 : A Tye to D Hooda, Cleverly disguised slower one. Short of a length outside off, Hooda is years early into the shot. He misses as the ball goes under his bat.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman returns to the attack.
15.1 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Slider coming in with the angle, Pandey works it through mid-wicket and takes two.
15.2 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, The batsman dances down the track. The batsmen have run through for a single.
15.3 : Ur Rahman to D Hooda, Straighter one outside off, Hooda plays it off the outer half behind square on the off side for a run.
15.4 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, FOUR! Played. Spinning in from outside off, Pandey waits for the ball and plays it really late. Almost out of Rahul's gloves. He runs it past the keeper and across the third man boundary.
15.5 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Played through mid-wicket by the batsman. They manage to come back for the second.
15.6 : Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Wide! Down the leg side, the batsman tries to flick but misses.
Ur Rahman to M Pandey, Turned through backward square leg for a single.
16.1 : A Tye to M Pandey, Pandey walks down the track, Tye fires it full on off, it's a low full toss which is played back to the bowler.
16.2 : A Tye to M Pandey, Slower one, well outside off, punched through the covers for two.
16.3 : A Tye to M Pandey, Lofted down towards long on for a single.
16.4 : A Tye to D Hooda, OUT! Tye with his second of the night. Hooda departs in search of the big ones. Length ball on middle and off, the batsman slogs over mid-wicket to clear the rope. A lot of height on it, no distance, and it's straight down the throat of Tiwary (sub) who makes no mistake in taking it.
Shakib Al Hasan walks into the middle next.
16.5 : A Tye to M Pandey, Comes down the track and punches it on the up through covers for a run.
16.6 : A Tye to Al Hasan, Outside off, Shakib plays and misses.
Barinder Sran back on to bowl.
17.1 : B Sran to M Pandey, Fuller in line of the stumps, driven through towards long on for a single.
0.0 : Free Hit coming up...
17.2 : B Sran to Al Hasan, No ball and FOUR! High full toss on off, Shakib somehow still manages to direct it past backward point with an angled blade for a boundary. No ball signalled as it was above waist height.
B Sran to Al Hasan, Wide! Outside off, across the tramline, the southpaw leaves it alone. The Free Hit will continue...
B Sran to Al Hasan, Superb delivery on the Free Hit. Sran spears in a yorker on leg, Shakib can barely dig this out on the leg side. It strikes him low on the pads and falls on the leg side.
17.3 : B Sran to Al Hasan, In the line of the stumps, fullish in length, Shakib backs away a touch and drives it towards long on for a brace.
17.4 : B Sran to Al Hasan, The batsman just manages to keep the yorker out. Good ball bowled by the bowler. One run added to the total.
17.5 : B Sran to M Pandey, Wide! Well outside off, the attempted yorker goes awry. Across the tramline and that's a wide.
B Sran to M Pandey, Leans ahead to a full ball and drives it through mid off for a single.
17.6 : B Sran to Al Hasan, Slower in pace and fuller outside off, Shakib mistimes the shot past the bowler for a run.
Mohit Sharma brought back on.
18.1 : M Sharma to Al Hasan, Back of a length on middle, Al Hasan with a little swivel pulls it along the ground in front of square leg. One run to the total.
18.2 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Fifty for Manish Pandey! His 10th in this competition. Brings it up in some style too. It's full and right in his slot, Pandey smokes this over long on and clears the fence with ease.
18.3 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Short of a good length outside off, Pandey gets bat on it. It goes off the bottom edge past the sticks behind towards the keeper. The batsmen steal a quick run.
18.4 : M Sharma to Al Hasan, Wide! Short but it's too short. Wide signalled by the umpire.
M Sharma to Al Hasan, Behind a good length, on middle and leg, pulled away to deep square leg for one.
18.5 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Back of a length again, well outside off, Pandey charges out and mistimes the slap towards wide long off for a double.
18.6 : M Sharma to M Pandey, Shortish outside off, slapped through extra cover for two more.
Skipper Ashwin will bowl the final over.
19.1 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Spinning away from around off, from around the wicket, Shakib drags it off the inner half through mid on for a single.
19.2 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Pandey comes down the track and knocks it to long on for a single.
19.3 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Wide! Darted wide down the leg side, the batsman has nothing to do with that.
R Ashwin to Al Hasan, SIX! It's got the distance on it! Full and in the slot, Shakib hits this right out of the screws. Launches it and clears long on for a biggie.
19.4 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, SIX! Two in two! This is sumptuous hitting from Shakib Al Hasan! Once again it's full and in his slot, the southpaw picks the bones out of this one and sends it sailing into the wide long on stands for a maximum.
19.5 : R Ashwin to Al Hasan, Dropped! Won't really matter at this point, except to maybe Ashwin who could have had one more scalp. Shakib lofts it over mid-wicket. Mujeeb comes running to his left in the deep and then drops it after getting under the ball. 17 needed off 1, a mere formality now.
19.6 : R Ashwin to M Pandey, Pandey punches this shorter ball through extra cover and takes a single. PUNJAB WIN BY 15 RUNS!
A thoroughly deserved victory for Punjab. Hyderabad were never in this game the moment the chase began. Losing Shikhar Dhawan to injury was more or less a blow they couldn't recover from. After that point, the innings never picked up pace. Williamson tried to keep it alive somehow, but his efforts fell short. Pandey stayed till the end, but his knock was less than ideal. Had he accelerated a bit more in the middle overs, his side would have had a fighting chance at least, as shown by Shakib when
The Punjab bowlers, in all honesty, never really had to work too hard for their wickets. They came at timely intervals and with the asking rate always up, there was no danger of any sort. Earlier in the evening, the Gayle-storm came to destroy and with his powerful ton, he showed everyone that he's still got a lot left in his tank. His partnerships with Agarwal and Nair were pivotal in putting up a score more than enough for Hyderabad.
Obviously, to nobody's surprise, Chris Gayle is declared as the Man of the Match. His blitzkrieg in the first innings, where he powered himself to the first century of the season, was the difference-maker in tonight's game. He's playing like a man who has a point to prove.
We're done and dusted with this encounter. Punjab continue their good run while Hyderabad suffer their first defeat of the season. More than the defeat, they will hope Shikhar Dhawan is back for them sooner rather than later. Anywho, we move on. Tomorrow, on 20th April, Chennai host Rajasthan in their new home in the city of Pune. It should be a good contest. Join us as the action begins at 2000 local (1430 GMT). Cheers!