Kings XI Punjab defeated Rajasthan Royals by 12 runs in an Indian Premier League match at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday, 16 April.
With this win, Punjab now move up to the fourth spot in the standings with 10 points against their name.
Rajasthan Royals won the toss, and opted to field first. Batting first, Punjab lost Chris Gayle early in the innings. Mayank Agarwal came in next and decided to play his shots. He was dismissed by Ish Sodhi after making a quick-fire 26 off 12 deliveries.
David Miller came in at number 4, and played an aggressive innings of 40 off 27 balls. Rahul couldn’t replicate his success against Mumbai Indians and was dismissed after a rather slow fifty.
The captain, Ravichandran Ashwin played a blinder in the end. His 17 off just 4 deliveries powered his side to 182-6 at the end of the innings.
Chasing 183, Rajasthan lost their most important batsmen in Jos Buttler early. Sanju Samson and Ajinkya Rahane got their starts but couldn’t get a move on. Both of them eventually perished in a bid to up the ante. Rahul Tripathi struggled his way to a half-century before getting dismissed by Ravi Ashwin.
Rajasthan needed 37 off the last 2 overs. Stuart Binny looked in a fine nick and smacked a few boundaries. But with no support from the other end, Rajasthan eventually succumbed to a 12-run defeat.
Team Standings
Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore find themselves at the bottom of the table having won just one game so far. Chennai Super Kings lead the table with Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Kings XI Punjab holding the second, third and fourth places, respectively.
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders would like to get back to winning ways after losing their momentum midway into the tournament. Rajasthan Royals have lost 6 of their 8 matches and will look to make strong amends going forward.
At the end of the group stage, the top four teams will qualify for the play-offs
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