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Pre Match Analysis

The first of the crucial two
KXIP V/s DC, The Wanderers Johannesberg

The Kings began their season with great expectations and high energy & their spirited campaign has taken them to this grand moment of glory - The final two matches, both must –wins for KXIP.

The first of the two make or break matches –Sunday’s clash against Hyderabad - promises to be a thriller as both teams have much at stake. KXIP need to win this if they want their dreams of a semi final berth alive while the Chargers will be looking to consolidate their position & seal their hopes with a big win.

If they bat first KXIP will be looking for a big total with match making knocks expected from Yuvraj & Sangakarra but it’s the bowling that will face a tough test against the likes of Gilchrist & Symonds. Sreesanth’s return to form is definitely reason to cheer for the Kings and much damage is expected from the Sree-Lee combination. 

The Aussie pacer thinks highly of Sreesanth’s abilities and says “It’s a matter of time before Sreesanth finds his rhythm back because he’s coming after a break”

Definite to be a cliff hanger, the Kings are all prepared to take the battle to the opposition. May the best team win!
 

Post Match Analysis

KXIP script miraculous win over Deccan Chargers

JOHANNESBURG, MAY 18: Keeping their hopes of a semi-final berth alive, Kings XI Punjab beat the Deccan Chargers by a single run to register the most exciting win of the IPL so far. Having already won some last over thrillers, KXIP had to fight till the very last ball and won what seemed like a lost game. With this win, they now have 14 points and with the Rajasthan Royals losing to Delhi Daredevils, KXIP has a strong chance at making the semi-final.

This match also saw Yuvraj Singh take his second hat-trick in this season’s IPL -- a feat that is unlikely to be surpassed unless Rohit Sharma has something to do about it!

Batting first after losing the toss, KXIP had a nervous start. Sunny Sohal tried to get the team off to a quick start, but couldn’t quite find his range on the day. When he fell for 9 at the end of the second over, Luke Pommersbach joined his Australian compatriot Simon Katich. Unfortunately for Luke, he was run out for just 1 when Katich decided to steal a single off a Herschelle Gibbs misfield. Katich then hit two delightful pull shots before falling to Andrew Symonds for 11. At this point, KXIP was in a spot of bother at 26/3.

Captain Yuvraj Singh then joined wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara and the two put on 26 for the 4th wicket before Yuvraj fell to Venugopal Rao for 20 just when he looked like he would take the innings to the next level. Wilking Mota, though, kept a cool head in his 53-run partnership with Sangakkara that saw KXIP move steadily to a score of respectability. The aggressor by now, Kumar Sangakkara (56) was in charge and when Irfan Pathan (17) joined him, they ensured that KXIP had a defendable total on the board.

Deccan Chargers’ chase began in right earnest with captain Adam Gilchrist leading the charge. His 23 off just 13 balls threatened to take the game away from KXIP. Partnering with Gibbs (26), they put on 34 for the first wicket in just over 4 overs. But the introduction of Ramesh Powar halted their progress. He picked up Gilchrist and T Suman off successive balls to wrest the initiative back for KXIP.

Andrew Symonds then joined Gibbs and was instrumental in forging a 39-run partnership. Like with the first two wickets, though, DC lost quick wickets again -- this time, three in a row! Gibbs fell trying to break the shackles caught by Chawla. Symonds was then smartly stumped by Sangakkara off the first ball of Yuvraj’s next over. The next ball saw Yuvraj complete his second hat-trick when he bowled Venugopal Rao. DC, it seemed, had self-destructed. Enter Rohit Sharma.

After a sedate start -- when Sharma saw more wickets fall around him -- Sharma once again found himself with a lot to do in the final two overs. After scoring 21 just the previous night, Sharma was faced with another daunting task as DC needed over 30 off the last 12 balls. But Sharma nearly did it... he first punished Wilking Mota scoring 18 off his one and only over and with just a handful required off the final over, he brought it down to 4 off 3 balls before losing his wicket to Irfan Pathan for a belligerent 42. Pathan then kept his cool and allowed DC only 2 more runs to steal a 1-run win.

KXIP plays their final must-win league match against the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday in Durban.