Irfan Pathan returned with a three-wicket haul as Kings XI Punjab put up clinical all-round performance to register a seven-wicket comprehensive victory over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match in New Delhi on Sunday .
Pathan's three for 24 and Piyush Chawla (2/16) helped Punjab shot out Delhi Daredevils for a lowly 111 at the slow and turning track of Ferozshah Kotla after home team captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat.
The Kings XI then returned to overhaul the target with eight balls to spare, courtesy Mahela Jayawardene (38), Kumar Sangakkara (33) and Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 21 off 25 balls.
Earlier, Gambhir's decision to bat first backfired as Delhi's much-famed batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards and they lost half of the side in exactly 10 overs with just 63 on board, before folding for the lowest IPL total in Delhi. Chasing 112 to win, Pathan and Jayawardene played cautiously on the slow Kotla wickets and picked up occasional boundaries to give Punjab a good start.
In the fourth over, Jayawardene picked up his first four and followed it up with a six off fellow-countrymen Farveez Maharoof, before slamming a couple of fours in the next two overs off Amit Mishra and Rajat Bhatia. The duo forged a 41-run opening stand off 40 balls, before Mishra got rid off Pathan in the seventh over.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene then added 24 runs off 26 balls to take Punjab to 65 in 11 overs when Paul Collingwood dismissed the latter. With the Kotla pitch favouring slow bowlers, Sangakkara and new man Yuvraj decided to shun aggression and tried to build the innings with singles and twos.
With required run-rate mounting, Yuvraj cracked a four and a six - first towards fine-leg and the next over the mid wicket - off Bhatia in the 14th over to ease the pressure.
Sangakkara also heaved one delivery off Collingwood over the backward cover to pick up a four in the 16th over.
Needing 17 off 24 balls, Sangakkara first sent Daniel Vettori across the square-leg boundary before hitting him for another four through fine-leg to take Punjab past 100-mark.
With just two runs to win, Sangakkara was bowled by Collingwood but it was too little too late as Adrian Barath finished the match with a quick single. Earlier, Pathan and Chawla helped Punjab bundle out the hosts for a lowly 111 at the slow and turning track. Yuvraj and Love Ablish also accounted for one each. PTI
