It wasn’t the best of days to be a Kings XI Punjab player, after the team fell short off the target against a potent Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack. But the VIVO Indian Premier League match between the two sides was not short of light moments, granting some relief.

Photo credit: BCCI/IPLT20.com

Gayle’s love for the gloves

It was the first innings of the match, and the KXIP side was on a roll, having picked up three wickets in just the first four overs. Chris Gayle being the light-hearted character that he is, then did something that you would have never imagined – donning the wicketkeeping gloves!

It happened during the sixth over bowled by Barinder Sran, when Lokesh Rahul quickly raced off the field momentarily, only to find Gayle standing behind the stumps in the interim – wearing the very gloves that he wears.

Now of course we know that Gayle is no wicketkeeper by trade, but we are sure that even if he attempted it, he would probably do something unbelievable just like the Universe Boss is used to .

Tiwary’s slingin’ surprise

Coming in to replace Yuvraj Singh on the day, all-rounder Manoj Tiwary starred in his first ever match for Kings XI Punjab, and it did not take long for him to become the talk of the town. Originally a leg-spinner when it comes to rolling his arm over for some impressive part-time bowling, Tiwary revealed during an on-field interview that he has learnt some off-breaks too - since it is easier to control – and also disclosed that he has a new bowling action to supplement it.

When he finally got the chance to bowl in the 8th over, the revelation unfolded, as he jogged up, and then got down low to sling one through to batsman Shakib Al Hasan. If you were missing the bowling of Lasith Malinga, who is now Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach, or Kedar Jadhav who is ruled out of the tournament due to injury, then look no further than Manoj Tiwary!

Though he bowled just the one over, his action is one that is hard to pick, especially when he showed that he can also bowl the off-breaks with a traditional action. Not knowing what to expect can make batsmen play right into Tiwary’s hands in the coming matches.