Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 5 wickets in the 38th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing 165, Kings started on a bad note as they lost skipper KL Rahul in the third over. Axar Patel dismissed Rahul on 15 runs.
Meanwhile, Chris Gayle (29) took DC pacer Tushar Deshpande on the cleaners by scoring 26 runs from his first over. Gayle was looking set and dangerous before Ravichandran Ashwin cleaned him up with an absolute peach of a delivery.
As if the trouble wasn’t enough for Kings, they lost Mayank Agarwal (5) in a bizarre run-out involving Nicholas Pooran. However, the Caribbean batsman made up for his mistake by scoring 53 off just 28 balls including 6 fours and three sixes.
Pooran and Glenn Maxwell (32) added a crucial 69-run stand for the fourth wicket before Kagiso Rabada sent the left-handed batsman back into the dugout. Rabada didn’t just stop there as he soon dismissed Maxwell as well.
However, it was too late for DC as KXIP chased down the target with one over to spare.
Shikhar Dhawan’s magnificent century takes DC to 164/5
Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan scored his second century in IPL 2020. He got to the milestone with a couple in the 19th over bowled by Arshdeep Singh. It was Dhawan’s second consecutive hundred in the tournament. In the previous match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the DC opener had smashed 101 not out. Dhawan also became the first batsman in the history of the IPL to hit back-to-back hundreds.
Multiple 100+ scores in an IPL season:
- 4 – Virat Kohli in 2016 (RCB)
- 2 – Chris Gayle in 2011 (RCB)
- 2 – Hashim Amla in 2017 (KXIP)
- 2 – Shane Watson in 2018 (CSK)
- 2 – Shikhar Dhawan (DC)*
Apart from Dhawan, no other Delhi batsmen contributed good enough to the team’s total as DC could only post 164 on the scoreboard with a loss of five wickets. It was the lowest first innings total in the history of IPL when a player has scored a ton in the game.
Lowest first innings total to contain an individual 100 in IPL:
- 164/5 – S Dhawan 106* (DC v KXIP 2020)
- 170/4 – M Pandey 114* (RCB v Deccan 2009)
- 177/4 – D Warner 107* (DD v KKR 2010)
For KXIP, Mohammad Shami bagged two wickets while Maxwell, James Neesham and Murugan Ashwin picked up one scalp each.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
And @kxip is looking dangerous and making a statement! @nicholas_47 the game changer ! Beautiful to watch ! What a player !!! #DCvKXIP #IPL2020
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 20, 2020
Wonderful chase by @lionsdenkxip , makes the #IPLinUAE really interesting! Brilliant knock by @SDhawan25 for back to back 100's unfortunately in vain! Looks like we are set for a block buster finish for the 4th! #DCvsKXIP
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) October 20, 2020
Some power packed shots played by @nicholas_47.
What a clean striker of the ball he has been. His stance and backlift reminds me of @jpduminy21.#KXIPvDC #IPL2020— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 20, 2020
Take a bow @SDhawan25 🔥🏏#Dream11IPL #IPL2020 #IPLinUAE #ShikharDhawan #DC
— Ridhima Pathak (@PathakRidhima) October 20, 2020
Finally, @lionsdenkxip's overseas batting stars came to the party. Gayle and Pooran made it easy for #KXIP. 3 consecutive wins against the three best sides of the #IPL2020 is not surprising for Punjab if you see how unlucky they were in some matches. #KXIPvDC #IPLinUAE
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) October 20, 2020
Beating number 1 and 2 on the points table back to back certainly gives @lionsdenkxip a solid boost as well important points to keep them alive in the #IPL2020 Well done #nicholaspooran #shami
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 20, 2020
That's that from Match 38, #KXIP win by 5 wickets with one over to spare.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/75alhy5y2k
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 20, 2020
Shikhar Dhawan 🔥 #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/FhFLN2K8Ir
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) October 20, 2020
When @nicholas_47 adds consistency to his skill, and he is going to very soon, he is going to light up stadiums around the world.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 20, 2020
Pooran is a madman. In a tournament where teams have been tapping it around for 1s and 2s in the middle overs, here's a guy who attacks like crazy and changes the game in 2 overs.
His performances have been so crucial for KXIP.
— Siddarth Srinivas (@sidhuwrites) October 20, 2020
If Pooran becomes consistent he can become as good as ABD said Clive Lloyd. We know why: superb talent and what range of shots. Just if he keeps calm and gets the consistency!
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) October 20, 2020
THIS WIN DESERVES TO BE TWEETED IN 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐒! 😎#SaddaPunjab #IPL2020 #KXIP #KXIPvDC
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) October 20, 2020
Pooran is doing what very few teams attempt to do in middle overs.
Kill the game. Make it easier for the ones to follow. And he's not swinging at every ball. Calculated batting, going after the bad balls.
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) October 20, 2020
You go Shikhar Dhawan. Historic batting, simply superb🤸🏿👀👀👀👀🔥🔥.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) October 20, 2020
Pooran – We closed down the game without going into last over. #IPL2020
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/AdamDhoni1/status/1318608090611109888
Pooran entered in the 6th over. Got out in the 13th over. Scored 53 off 28. Six fours, three sixes. A lesson on how to approach the middle overs in a T20. By the time he was out, they needed 5 an over. Brilliant.
— Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee) October 20, 2020
