Images from Thursday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Dubai.
Spurred by a breezy, unbeaten hundred by skipper Lokesh Rahul, and brilliant bowling by the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin, Kings XI Punjab humbled Royal Challengers Bangalore in Thursday’s Indian Premier League match, in Dubai.
After Rahul registered the first century of IPL-13, which was instrumental in Kings XI posting a formidable 206 for 3, Bishnoi and Murugan scythed through the Royal Challengers attack, dismissing them for a meagre 109.
The duo destroyed Virat Kohli’s vaunted batting line-up for just 97 runs, claiming 3 wickets for 32 and 3 for 21 respectively, as the Kings registered their first victory on two matches, following the Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals.
Earlier, it was Rahul on the rampage all the way after Kings XI Punjab were put in to bat. Last season he got a hundred against Mumbai Indians. On Thursday, it was the Royal Challengers who were at the receiving end.
Dropped twice by Royal Challengers skipper Virat Kohli in the death overs, he finished off in style, hammering Dale Steyn for 26 runs in the penultimate over and Shivam Dube for 23 in the next, to register the highest score by an Indian in IPL history.
Playing his 60th innings, he also aggregated 2000 IPL runs.
The stylish batsman clipped away a full length delivery to fine leg for four to surpass Rishabh Pant (128 in 2018) and post the highest individual score by an Indian and captain in IPL history.
Rahul was involved in two fifty-run partnerships, first with with fellow-opener Mayank Agarwal (26 off 20 balls) and then Nicholas Pooran (17 off 18).
Shivam Dube was the pick of the Royal Challengers' bowlers with figures of 2 for 33 from three overs.
Opening the batting with Rahul, Agarwal looked dangerous and shared a 57-run stand with his captain. However, with the introduction of spin into the attack in the seventh over, Yuzvendra Chahal (1/25) struck with his last delivery of the over, cleaning up Agarwal with a delightful googly.
Pooran and Glenn Maxwell (5) failed to make an impact as Dube accounted for the duo.
Karun Nair pitched in with an eight-ball 15.
The pace troika of Umesh Yadav (0/35), Dale Steyn (0/57) and Navdeep Saini (0/37) had a torrid time as the Kings skipper was on fire in his second game as captain.
It was a rather ordinary performance by the Royal Challengers after their demolition of SunRisers Hyderabad in their tournament opener.
They were on the backfoot from the start of the run-chase as first- match hero Devdutt Padikkal (1) and Josh Philippe (0)were back to the dug out in the first two overs.
After dropping two catches, Kohli, undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to run-chasing, failed with the bat, scoring just a run off five balls before he was caught off a Sheldon Cottrell delivery.
Opener Aaron Finch (20) was then joined in the middle by AB de Villiers (28). The duo looked dangerous, milking deliveries wherever possible. The two added 49-runs before the young Ravi Bishnoi broke the stand by getting rid of the Australian limited-overs captain.
Bishnoi (3/32) and Murugan Ashwin (3/21) dismissed Finch and de Villiers in quick succession and RCB were reeling at 57 for five. Washington Sundar was RCB’s top scorer, with 30 off 27 deliveries.
Ashwin was the pick of the Kings bowlers, picking three wickets for 21 runs. Bishnoi too claimed three wickets and was impressive once again. Cottrell (2/17), Mohammad Shami (1/14) and Glenn Maxwell (1/10) too bowled economical spells.
The players wore black armbands in honour of Australian cricketer-turned-commentator Dean Jones, who died in Mumbai due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday.
