IPL 6: KXIP v/s RCB - Heroes Of The Day

With the Kings XI Punjab clinching victory from the jaws of defeat at their home ground here at the PCA stadium in Mohali against a very strong Royal Challengers unit after chasing a massive 191 in the allotted 20 overs, we saw some amazing cricket being played with Punjab coming out on top in the end. With that victory, Punjab have given themselves a good chance at making the playoffs. For the Royal Challengers, it was yet another disappointing show with the ball that has resulted in another poor performance playing away from home. That being said, let’s have a look at the star performers of the day.

David Miller – 101* from 38 deliveries

The hard hitting South African really changed the scenario for the Kings XI. He came in at a point when they were struggling to find the boundaries and weren’t able to keep up with the ever rising required run rate. And along with R.Satish, with whom he struck a brilliant partnership, he took his team home with 2 overs to spare. He was dropped on 41 by Virat Kohli, and capitalizing on that bit of luck, he carted every single bowler to the fence, bringing up a magnificent century by hitting Gayle for a six over long off. He won the Man Of The Match award, giving his team a very strong chance at the playoffs.

Chris Gayle – 61 from 33

Chris Gayle provided yet another brisk start for RCB. While he was at the crease, RCB were going at almost 9.5 runs an over and at a point, a score in the excess of 200 was on. He played the short ball well this time, hitting a few massive sixes. All in all, Gayle hit 3 sixes and 6 fours in his short yet devastating stay at the crease. Though he ended up on the losing side, he’ll take away a lot of positives from his innings.

Cheteshwar Pujara – 51 from 48

Finally being able to make a comeback to the side, after an injury kept him out for a long time, Pujara provided that much needed solidity at the start of the innings. He played a wonderful knock, ably supporting Gayle with a decent half century immediately on returning to the side. Though he started slowly, he soon caught up with the run rate with a flurry of boundaries. His return should boost the already strong RCB batting lineup, and give them a strong chance going into the playoffs.

AB de Villiers – 38* from 19

When you need someone to score 20-odd runs in an over, call AB de Villiers. He was the hero with the bat for RCB in the previous match and yet again it was him who gave the score some respectability with a scintillating 38 hitting 2 sixes and 4 fours in the process. He had the added responsibility to finish off the innings with a bang after a solid start and he didn’t disappoint.

Praveen Kumar – 4 overs 0 for 28

The temperamental pacer was at his best, swinging the ball both ways on a lively Mohali pitch. He was solely responsible for the sudden dip in the run rate in the middle overs, and though he didn’t pick up any wickets, he got the yorkers in at the right time to restrict an otherwise rampaging de Villiers.

Parwinder Awana – 4 overs 1 for 28

The youngster really came to the party today, picking up the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli after bowling beautifully in the ‘death’. He was easily the pick of the bowlers, who used the short ball to perfection and the variations were good as well. Definitely one to look forward to as the tournament progresses.