IPL 2019, KXIP vs RR: Rahul, Ashwin guide Punjab to 12-run victory over Rajasthan
Highlights, KXIP vs RR, IPL 2019, Match 32: Hello and welcome to our live blog of Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals from IS Bindra, Mohali. Punjab, after all their struggle, have managed to post a very good total on the board. Only 46 runs were scored in the final 5 overs, but that last over of Kulkarni could prove to be all the difference. Being put into bat, the hosts didn't get off to a good start as they lost a couple of wickets and were struggling to score, but Rahul and Miller took it upon them to do the bulk of the scoring. They took their time, settled in and put on an 85-run stand, with the former scoring a fifty. Things were still looking bleak after both of them departed, but Ashwin's cameo of 17 runs in 4 balls could prove to be all the difference. All of those runs came in the last over of the innings. Here you can follow Live IPL Score IPL 2019 match between KXIP vs RR. (MATCH SCORECARD)
Highlights, Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals: KXIP win by 12 runs
* A comfortable victory in the end for Punjab. 12 runs maybe the margin but the writing was almost on the wall for the last 3 or 4 overs despite a few lusty blows from Binny in the end. Mohammed Shami had an over left in the bank and 23 runs proved too much to get in the end. The victory for Ashwin and co. comes as a much-needed tonic for the hosts who were losing their way over the previous few games.
23.38 IST: Mohammed Shami to Stuart Binny, FOUR. It does not matter though! PUNJAB WIN BY 12 RUNS! A length ball on off and Binny gets under the ball and gets it over cover. Agarwal runs from long off to try and stop the ball but fails to keep it in. It does not matter though. Punjab win and the crowd here is going bonkers. A win after two losses, very important one!
23.35 IST: Mohammed Shami to Stuart Binny, Bit of a fumble but does not cost much. Full and straight on middle, Binny hoits it hard towards long off, Mayank Agarwal there misfields it but then saves it with a dive. 2 taken.
23.34 IST: Mohammed Shami to Stuart Binny, DOT BALL! Gayle with some antics as well. A yorker on the leg stump line, Binny tries to get under it but fails to time the ball. All he can do is dig it out towards point and the ball goes just as far as Gayle there who acts coyly trying to let the ball through allowing Binny to go for a single which he surely is not going to take.
* The new man in is Jaydev Unadkat.
23.31 IST: Mohammed Shami to Shreyas Gopal, OUT! Agarwal does not have to move and the crowd in Mohali has found their voice again! A length ball on middle and leg, Gopal wanted the big one and goes through with a slog. Can't free his arm and the ball goes high towards long off where Mayank is stationed and takes the catch comfortably. 23 needed in 5 balls now, Binny back on strike.
* Mohammed Shami to bowl the final over. 22 to defend!
23.30 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Stuart Binny, SIX! RR 160/6 (19 overs)
23.28 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Stuart Binny, SIX! This is out of here. Why didn't Rahane give Binny the strike early. Can he pull the rabbit out of his hat here? Back of a length ball on off, Binny lofts it high and over mid-wicket fence for a maximum.
23.25 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Ajinkya Rahane, OUT! Arshdeep Singh is showing his class and composure in his very first game. Rahane cannot do much and has to walk back. Length ball around off, Rahane gets on one knee and looks to sweep it. He just manages to get a top edge and the ball goes behind.
23.22 IST: Mohammed Shami to Stuart Binny, SIX! 10 off 2 and Binny won't try thinking. Good length ball on the pads, Binny pulls it over the fine leg fence for a maximum.
23.21 IST: Mohammed Shami to Stuart Binny, FOUR! Binny is off the mark and in some style. Back of a length ball on off, Binny pulls it and pulls it hard through deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
* Stuart Binny is the new batsman in.
23.18 IST: Mohammed Shami to Jofra Archer, OUT! Shami strikes with the very first ball and Jofra Archer is a goner. 50 needed off 18, Archer had no choice but to go after it. Back of a length ball on off, Archer goes for the pull. He hits it very well. But to his dismay, KL Rahul runs to his left and takes the catch diving in front. It looks very very difficult for Rajasthan now.
* Jofra Archer is the new man in.
23.14 IST: Murugan Ashwin to Ashton Turner, OUT! The other Ashwin strikes now! Turner departs for a golden duck on his League debut! A flighted ball outside off and turning away from the right-hander. Turner goes for the maximum but fails to middle the ball. The bat turns in his hand and the ball flies really high towards long off where Miller comes in a bit and takes a really safe catch. Punjab roaring now! 52 needed off 21 balls.
* Ashton Turner is the new man in.
23.10 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin to Rahul Tripathi, OUT! Ashwin strikes in the last ball of his spell. Tripathi does not hang long after getting to his fifty and Rajasthan did not want that. The carrom ball has been Ashwin's go to weapon tonight and has given him his second scalp. RR 127/3 (16 overs)
23.02 IST: Murugan Ashwin to Ajinkya Rahane, On off, Rahane guides it down to third man and gets to the other end.
* Strategic break. The game is well poised at the moment. Rajasthan require 66 off 36 balls. They have 8 wickets in hand but Punjab have done well with the ball and have hardly given any lose deliveries in the last three overs.
22.54 IST: Mandeep Singh to Ajinkya Rahane, Great effort. Mandeep starts with a good length ball on off, Rahane flat-bats it. The ball was hit with power, Mandeep dives to his right and saves a certain boundary but cannot stop them from taking the single.
* Mandeep Singh to have a go with the ball now.
22.52 IST: Mohammed Shami to Rahul Tripathi, FOUR! Clipped away! Really full on the pads, at the base of the batsman. Tripathi clears his front leg, brings his bat down and angles the ball away to the rope at deep backward square leg. Brilliant start to the over for RAJ, 9 runs off the first three balls.
22.51 IST: Shami to Rahane, FOUR! Valiant effort in the deep from Mandeep. A quicker ball on the pads, Rahane flicks it away through backward square leg and times it excellently. The ball reaches the rope easily by beating the fielder in the deep despite his dive.
* Skipper Ajinkya Rahane walks out to bat next at number 4.
22.50 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin to Sanju Samson, OUT Bowled 'em! The captain strikes and Sanju Samson is out of here. The carrom ball does the trick. It is on off, Sanju looks to play the sweep shot. He misses his sweep and the ball goes on to knock the off pole.
22.45 IST: Murugan Ashwin to Rahul Tripathi, Excellent fielding off his own bowling! A flatter one full on middle, driven back down the ground by Tripathi. The bowler dives to his right and stops the ball well. Prevents any runs. RR 93/1 in 10.5 Overs
22.43 IST: Murugan Ashwin to Sanju Samson, Played really late towards short third man by Samson and a fumble by Arshdeep there allows them to complete the single easily.
* Murugan Ashwin is back on.
22.42 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin to Rahul Tripathi, Floated on off, Tripathi taps it towards short third man and looks for a single but Samson says no.
22.39 IST: Mohammed Shami to Sanju Samson, FOUR! Deft touch! Good length ball on off, Sanju waits and waits and then plays it very late and guides it down fine of third man for a boundary. RR 84/1 in 8.4 Overs
22.38 IST: Mohammed Shami to Sanju Samson, FOUR! Poor, poor delivery from Shami. On the pads of Samson. It is an easy picking for him, he just flicks it away towards fine leg. Murugan runs to his right sand puts in a dive but cannot stop it.
* Mohammed Shami into attack
* Huge blow for Punjab and Afghanistan. Mujeeb is down on the ground holding his shoulder. He looks in a lot of pain. Punjab and the whole of Afghanistan will hope that it just a minor blow and nothing more. That will also be the strategic break. The game is evenly poised at the moment. Rajasthan have lost Buttler but Tripathi is looking very good out in the middle.
22.31 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin to Sanju Samson, Flighted delivery on middle and leg, Samson nudges it towards fine leg. The batsmen get three runs.
* Skipper Ravichandran Ashwin is into the attack.
22.27 IST: Murugan Ashwin to Rahul Tripathi, FOUR!
* Murugan Ashwin is into the attack now.
22.23 IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman to Rahul Tripathi, Flighted delivery on middle, Tripathi defends it off the back foot.
22.21 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Rahul Tripathi, FOUR! Poor, poor effort from Shami in the field. Harsh on the young pacer. Fuller delivery outside off, Tripathi looks to drive but it goes off the outer half of his bat towards backward point. Shami moving to his left misjudges it and the ball goes past him for a boundary.
22.19 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Rahul Tripathi, FOUR! Tripathi loves opening the batting and he is making full use of it. Full length ball around off, Tripathi hits it through point for a boundary.
22.16 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Jos Buttler, OUT! The debutant gets his first and what a wicket to get on debut. It's the dangerous Buttler. Punjab needed this wicket and the young pacer has given them that.
22.08 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Jos Buttler, FOUR! The timing! The grace. A length ball well outside off, Buttler just reaches out and times it incredibly behind point for a boundary. The fielder at deep cover had just a little distance to cover but fails to get around as the ball reaches the rope in a trance.
22.05 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Jos Buttler, SIX! Walk and whack! A short length ball on middle, Buttler comes down the track and whips it over deep mid-wicket. The timing is such that the ball has flown into the stands there.
22.02 IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman to Jos Buttler, SIX! Huge! Buttler has had enough. He comes down the track and lifts it over wide long on. The ball goes sailing into the stands.
22.01 IST: Mujeeb Ur Rahman to bowl from the other end.
21.57 IST: Arshdeep Singh to Jos Buttler, Angles away from the right-hander. Buttler looks to feel for the ball but misses it. It goes on a bounce to the keeper.
21.56 IST: Change in batting for RR. Jos Buttler has been accompanied by Rahul Tripathi. Arshdeep Singh has the ball for Punjab
21.53 IST: Rajasthan will be disappointed that they let their opponents get to this point really. They were doing well in the first 10, went for some runs in the next few overs after that, but did well in the death overs, barring the final one. Though, when the big runs came, they all came together and everyone got taken for runs. However, despite the chaos around, Archer was phenomenal once again as finished with 3/15 in his 4-over spell.
21.47 IST: Punjab, after all their struggle, have managed to post a very good total on the board. Only 46 runs were scored in the final 5 overs, but that last over of Kulkarni could prove to be all the difference. Being put into bat, the hosts didn't get off to a good start as they lost a couple of wickets and were struggling to score, but Rahul and Miller took it upon them to do the bulk of the scoring. They took their time, settled in and put on an 85-run stand, with the former scoring a fifty. Things were still looking bleak after both of them departed, but Ashwin's cameo of 17 runs in 4 balls could prove to be all the difference. All of those runs came in the last over of the innings.
21.43 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Ravichandran Ashwin, SIX! Another one! Cheeky from the skipper and he has played a captain's knock right at the end here. These runs could prove really vital. A full toss on middle, the Punjab skipper comes inside the line and lifts it over short fine leg. The ball goes over the rope. Excellent finish for the hosts after a poor last two overs. 18 runs off the 20th powers the home side to the highest score at this venue this season.
21.43 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Ravichandran Ashwin, SIX! That is struck sweetly and goes sailing into the stands. Kulkarni has done the error of bowling length once more here and Ashwin takes full toll. He pulls this away over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. Huge!
21.39 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Ravichandran Ashwin, FOUR! Ashwin opens his account with the boundary. A length ball on top of off, Ashwin backs off and cuts it wide of point for a boundary. Third man tries to come around but his effort goes in vain.
21.38 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to David Miller, OUT! Kulkarni on and Kulkarni strikes instantly. The big-hitting David Miller is out of here. A good knock from him, but his team would have needed him to finish things off here. Fuller length ball around leg, Miller clears his front leg to clear long on. Can only hit it high and into the safe hands of Jos Buttler out in the deep.
21.37 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin is the new man in
21.37 IST: Jofra Archer to Mandeep Singh, OUT! Bowled' em! The slower bouncer does the trick now. From the back of the hand, Mandeep looks to go for the pull but ends up chopping the ball back on to the leg stump which is uprooted.
21.35 IST: Mandeep Singh is the new man in for Punjab.
21.34 IST: Jofra Archer to Nicholas Pooran, OUT! Pooran departs. The low full toss does the trick this time. The ball on off stump line, Pooran looks to go big but due to the pace of the ball, can only mistime it towards extra cover where Rahane comes running in and takes a smart tumbling catch. Rajasthan finishing well.
21.31 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to David Miller, FOUR! Miller ends the over in a fine manner. 9 off the over from Unadkat, still, a good over, all things considered. Full and outside off, the southpaw bangs it over covers to send it across the boundary line.
21.28 IST: Nicholas Pooran is the new man in
21.26 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to KL Rahul, OUT! Unadkat strikes and he lets out a huge roar as he's got the big wicket of KL Rahul. Takes it at a crucial time too. He angles this full ball across, outside off, Rahul opens the face of the bat and hits it uppishly straight to Archer at backward point. He takes a sharp catch there. Partnership of 85 runs comes to an end. Can Rajasthan capitalize from here?
21.26 IST: Jaydev Unadkat will bowl his final over. He's been taken for runs so far, but can he end his spell well?
21.22 IST: Jofra Archer to KL Rahul, FOUR! FIFTY! On a length and following the batsman, Rahul makes room and punches the ball wide of extra cover. The fielders are up in the circle and once the ball beats them, there is no stopping that!
21.20 IST: Jofra Archer to David Miller, NO BALL! Bowled off a no ball! The off stump goes crashing but the umpire has signalled that no ball straightaway. From around the wicket, Miller goes for the pull but fails to put bat on ball. The off stump is removed and goes carting. Rahul though has spotted the no ball and asks his partner to run. Three runs are taken as the ball rolls towards the third man fence. That is a no ball and 3 byes. Free Hit coming up, Rahul to face it..
21.19 IST: Jofra Archer is the new bowler for RR
21.12 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to KL Rahul, SIX! Breaking the shackles for sure, isn't he? Wow. Just playing with the bowler. Full and outside off, Rahul makes room, stays leg side and lofts it with an open face over the cover boundary for a flat biggie.
21.11 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to David Miller, SIX!
21.09 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to KL Rahul, FOUR! Innovative shot from KL Rahul. Sees that fine leg is inside the ring, so he walks across to this length ball around off and paddle scoops it over the fielder's head for a boundary.
21.06 IST: Ish Sodhi to David Miller, SIX! All 5 balls have been bowled short. Sodhi getting the treatment here. Around leg, Miller makes room for himself and smokes it straight back into the sightscreen for a biggie.
21.05 IST: Ish Sodhi to KL Rahul, SIX! That's out of here! A big, big hit from Kl Rahul. Sodhi with another short ball which deserves to be punished. Rahul hangs back, adjusts in the crease and muscles the pull deep into the mid-wicket stands.
21.02 IST: Strategic break! Rajasthan has pulled things back decently since the wicket of Agarwal. Rahul seems to be struggling for timing out there but it is imperative that he does not lose the wicket before at least improving his strike rate. Punjab will want a grandstand finish to ensure they get to at least an above-par score. The away side will be vying for a few more wickets which will cause the hosts to struggle even more. Ish Sodhi to resume bowling.
21.01 IST: Shreyas Gopal to David Miller, FOUR! Another sweep shot and this time Miller has nailed it. Kneels down and places it through square leg, beating the fielder in the deep. He's played that shot a few times already, executing it well here.
20.53 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to Lokesh Rahul, FOUR! A welcome boundary for Rahul and Punjab. Is this the over where KL kicks off? This is a very good shot. Good length delivery around off, Rahul makes room, steps out of his crease and lofts it cleanly over extra cover for a boundary.
20.53 IST: Jaydev Unadkat back on for RR
20.48 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Lokesh Rahul, Uses the depth of the crease to go back and works it to mid-wicket. One run taken and that'll be the end of the over. Another quiet over.
20.42 IST: David Miller is the new man in
20.40 IST: Ish Sodhi to Mayank Agarwal, OUT! High in the air and Agarwal is gone! He was looking good out there, but has to walk back now. Tossed up quite slow through the air, on middle stump, the batsman gets low and looks to go big once again downtown, as he has so many times already. This time, however, he skies it towards long on where Jofra Archer gets under the ball and takes a very good catch.
20.36 IST: Strategic time-out! Brilliant batting so far from the newcomer Mayank Agarwal, who came in to replace Gayle who looked good as long as he was out there in the middle. His opening partner, Rahul though has looked scratchy and will be really happy that his current partner is going really strong. Rajasthan, on the other hand, will want more wickets to keep the run rate under check.
20.34 IST: Shreyas Gopal to Mayank Agarwal, SIX! This one is even better. A flighted one outside off, Mayank goes right back over the head of the bowler. The ball flies over the rope at long off. Great batting this by the batsman who has just come in moments back.
20.33 Shreyas Gopal to Mayank Agarwal, FOUR! Good effort from the fielder in the deep but the ball trickles to the rope and ends up as a boundary. Short one on middle, pulled away wide of deep mid-wicket to his left, Binny runs and tries to stop the ball with a dive but unfortunately cannot keep it in.
20.32 IST: Shreyas Gopal on for Rajasthan now
20.30 IST: Ish Sodhi to Mayank Agarwal, SIX! Clean strike. Flighted on middle and off by Sodhi, Agarwal keeps a nice, firm base and then goes through the line as he hits the ball right over the head of the bowler for a maximum. Excellent shot.
20.28 IST: Ish Sodhi on for Rajasthan now
20.25 IST: Mayank Agarwal is the new man in
20.26 IST: Jofra Archer to Chris Gayle, OUT! The frustration does not last for long! Archer has got the big man! Huge breakthrough. A back of a length delivery closer to the off stump and slightly shaping away from the lefty. Gayle looks to run it down to third man but the touch is too soft and the ball just goes off the shoulder of the blade and to the keeper who makes no mistake this time. The extra bounce did the trick there!
20.24 IST: Jofra Archer to Chris Gayle, FOUR BYES! Archer is not impressed. That was an excellent delivery that had the batsman beaten all ends up but he ends up conceding a boundary. A slower short of a length ball, Gayle was foxed by it and is early into the pull. The keeper, Samson though fails to collect the ball or even get a hand on it.
20.21 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Chris Gayle, SIX! He's cheeky as well. We're used to his brute force, but he has this side to his game as well. Bumper on off, Gayle just uses the pace on the delivery and ramps it over the keeper's head and the third man boundary for a maximum.
20.20 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Chris Gayle, FOUR! Nicely timed. Shortish delivery around off, not much room to work with but that's the power of Chris Gayle. He cuts it hard through point and finds the fence.
20.18 IST: Jofra Archer to Lokesh Rahul, Fine over from Jofra Archer. Conceded just 2 runs from his first. He offers some room outside off, Rahul cuts but can't beat Buttler at cover who dives to his right to stop it.
20.14 IST: Jofra Archer is the new bowler in for RR
20.12 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Chris Gayle, FOUR! This one won't be stopped. Really poor bowling this, while the deep fielders are on the leg side, Kulkarni bowls this full outside off. Gayle gets a thick edge that takes the ball past a diving short third man. The big man has his eyes in one would feel and is going after the bowling now.
20.08 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to Chris Gayle, SIX! This time it is off the middle of the bat. A back of a length ball, Gayle stands tall and swats it right back over wide long on for a biggie. 12 in two balls.
20.07 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to Chris Gayle, SIX! Misjudgement and it could prove really costly. Was in the air for literally ages and Archer was never looking comfortable there. The bouncer from Unadkat, Gayle wants to hook it away but is not in control of the ball. He ends up top edging it and the ball flies towards fine leg. Archer there in the deep fails to settle down and ends up circling under the ball all the while before finally missing the ball. It drops just over the rope. Huge miss that for the away side.
20.05 IST: Jaydev Unadkat to bowl from the other end.
20.04 IST: Dhawal Kulkarni to Lokesh Rahul, Excellent over first up. The final ball is also on a length and on top of off stump. Defended from the crease by Rahul.
20.00 IST: The men who matter are out in the middle. Ajinkya Rahane ensures all his men are exactly where he wants them to be. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul are the openers for Punjab whereas Dhawal Kulkarni has the new ball in his hands for the visiting side. Surely this one is going to be a hard-fought game, where neither team would want to give an inch. All set for ball 1, here we go...
17.35 IST: Playing XIs:
Kings XI Punjab:Lokesh Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin (C), Murugan Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (WK), Rahul Tripathi, Ashton Turner, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ish Sodhi
17.33 IST: Ashton Turner will mak his debut for Rajasthan in place of Steve Smith
17.31 IST: TOSS - Ajinkya Rahane has won the toss and has opted to bowl
Match Preview KXIP vs RR: An inconsistent Kings XI Punjab will look to sort their bowling woes and regain the momentum when they host a rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Thursday. The R Ashwin led Kings XI slipped to number fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches. The bowling attack of Kings XI has been good only in patches. They failed to defend 197 against MI the other day with Kieron Pollard's knock of 31-ball 83 blowing them away. (FULL MATCH PREVIEW)
