Kings XI Punjab, the most consistent team of the last season's IPL, where they ended as runners-up, are threatening to unravel fast in IPL 2015. Their most dangerous player is going through a lean patch, their most expensive and experienced bowler can't take a wicket, their openers are struggling to fashion partnerships, their success story of 2014 isn't penetrative and in the last match the team benched the middle-order lynchpin. That Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Murali Vijay, Virender Sehwag, Axar Patel and David Miller recover their powers in quick time is crucial if Kings XI Punjab - languishing at sixth place with one win from four games - are to get their campaign back on track.On Tuesday in hot, muggy Ahmedabad they will face the most efficient team of IPL 2015 so far, table-toppers Rajasthan Royals. Last season's middle-runners appear to have everything sorted. Ajinka Rahane - the leading run-getter so far - is the anchor around whom the likes of Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda and Karun Nair can attack. If things go wrong, they have the almost unstoppable Steven Smith at No. 3, followed by James Faulkner and Chris Morris in the lower order.Throw in Shane Watson, who returned for the last game against Chennai Super Kings and scored 73 from 47 balls as opener, and things are looking even better for Rajasthan Royals. With the ball, Pravin Tambe continues to pick wickets while South Africa's Morris has broken partnerships. Faulkner has also had a say and Dhawal Kulkarni - oddly dropped for the last game - has been successful too. An unbeaten Rajasthan Royals, particularly after the eight-wicket win over CSK, know they can beat any team, and will be looking forward to adding Kings XI Punjab to their hit-list.
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings, 18th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary
Johnson was tidy in his third over giving away just four runs and Axar Patel provided KXIP with the first breakthrough of the match taking the wicket of Shane Watson for 45. Watson stepped down the track, but an arm ball from Axar down the leg side had Watson out of his crease and Saha did not take any time to whip the bails. The opening partnership yields 95 runs.
And it is Deepak Hooda who walks in at No.3. Rajasthan Royals are looking to accelerate. RR 99 for 1 after 12 overs.
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Sandeep Sharma started the proceedings with a tidy over giving away just six runs and had Shane Watson in trouble with a couple of in-swingers, but Anureet Singh was off radar. He began with a short ball that was crashed to the point boundary by Watson and he went on to concede eight runs off his first over.
Virender Sehwag continued with Sandeep Sharma and the Punjab pacer conceded eight runs with Rahane pouncing on to a pitched up delivery and taking a boundary, but the opener found himself in trouble when Mitchell Johnson was introduced in to the attack. Johnson got the better of Rahane in the first three balls - beaten for pace - but he was off the blocks by hitting for two boundaries. The first one was a hook towards fine leg and the second, a blazing cut shot to point boundary. RR 31 for no loss after four overs.
Virender Sehwag tossed the bowl to Shivam Sharma in hope of a turnaround and Sharma provided the much needed breakthrough by cleaning up Deepak Hooda. But not before he gave away 13 runs off his second over. Rahane came down the track and tonked one over the cover boundary and Hooda then pierced the gap between long-on and deep midwicket. Sharma however had the last laugh when Hooda shuffled across attempting a paddle, only to lose his leg stump. In-form Steven Smith (0) walked in but in a bid to continue the momentum, he was holed out at deep midwicket off Axar Patel. Karun Nair came in to bat and he got off the blocks with a handsome drive over the in-field towards extra cover boundary for a four.
A reverse sweep from Karun Nair lightened up the crowd as Shivam Sharma send down another expensive over that cost 12 runs. Johsnon came on to bowl his final over and started off with a wide. His slower delivery was well scouted by Rahane who earned his sixth four of the innings towards square leg, but his 54-ball 74-run knock came to an end in the same over as he slashed a wide delivery to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. RR 166 for 4 after 18 overs.
KXIP pulled things back somewhat with the wicket of James Faulkner when Glenn Maxwell took a good catch at long-on, but Karun Nair ensured that RR run-flow was maintained. Nair cleared his front leg and plonked one over the square leg boundary for a six off Sandeep Sharma. Sandeep however came back well to limit the damage to 10 runs in the penultimate over.
The final over was bowled by Anureet Singh and he got rid of Karun Nair who had hit 25 off 13 balls in the first ball. Nair could not connect with the the full toss well and was caught at deep square leg. Another full toss was well struck by Sanju Samson towards the midwicket boundary as RR's score went past the 180-run mark. Stuart Binny then carved a full delivery towards the cover fence and Rajasthan Royals went on to finish at 191 for 6 courtesy and six off the last ball by Binny.
Chris Morris starts off the proceedings in defence of Rajasthan Royal's 191 with Murali Vijay and stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag opening for Kings XI Punjab. Morris sends down a tidy over giving away just two runs. Stuart Binny gets the new ball and he bowls a couple of short balls to Sehwag but gets away. He beats the bat of Vijay with a lovely away swinger and in the last ball a brilliant work by Steve Smith sends back Sehwag for one. Vijay had hit the ball straight to Smith at mid-off and he hits the bulls-eye as Sehwag going for a quick single falls short of the crease.
Shaun Marsh, playing his first game of IPL 2015, takes a boundary off the second ball he faces courtesy an eye-pleasing flick past midwicket. Vijay then hits Binny for a six, dancing down the track over the bowler's head. Binny's short-pitch delivery is easily pulled for a boundary by Marsh as KXIP take 13 runs off the fourth over. KXIP 25 for 1 after four overs
Shane Watson introduced spin early and Pravin Tambe was successful in inducing an error from Murali Vijay but a simple chance at midwicket was grassed by Karun Nair. Yet Tambe bowled a good over giving away just eight runs. Vijay then hit Morris for a six over midwicket in the next over. KXIP 40 for 1 after six overs.
Watson threw the ball to legpsinner Rahul Tewatia and Tewatia made his presence felt immediately. Shaun Marsh had played the ball back to the bowler and Tewatia in a jiffy turned around and threw the ball at the stumps at the non-striker's end to catch Vijay napping. Vijay departed for 21, but Marsh is looking solid in the middle. Hit earned his fourth boundary with a full-blooded drive towards long-off of Pravin Tambe. In the process he went past 2000 runs for KXIP. KXIP 58 for 2 after eight overs.
Rahul Tewatia was in action once again and this time he got rid of the dangerous Glenn Maxwell for 1. Maxwell went for a slog sweep only managing to top edge it to deep midwicket. However, Shaun Marsh took a boundary off Tewatia, but with falling at the other end, he too became a but too cautious. Deepak Hooda bowled a tidy 10th over giving away just six runs as KXIP reached 67 for 3 at the half way stage of their innings. KXIP still need 125 runs off 60 balls.
Marsh upped the the ante hitting Tewatia for a huge six for over deep midwicket. Tewatia erred in line and Marsh pounced on to that with another six straight down the ground. 17 runs came off the 11th over as Marsh reached his fifty off 32 balls. Faulkner however pulled things back with a good over conceding just three runs in the 12th over.
Shane Watson came on to bowl and bowled five terrific balls before David Miller, who had not been able to time the ball well, finally got one in the middle and powered a six over over long-on off a length ball. Deepak Hooda bowled a wide one and Shaun Marsh with a free swing took a six over extra cover. 50 partnership in the 14th over between Miller and Marsh before Marsh cracked one straight down the ground for a four to take KXIP total to 114 for 3.
KIXP's run chase was dealt with a major blow when Pravin Tambe got rid of the well-set Shaun Marsh for 65. It was googly from Tambe and Marsh was on to his shot a bit too early, skying one up only to see Ajinkya Rahane taking a well-judged catch at long-on. With Marsh gone, and the run-rate shooting up exponentially, Wriddhiman Saha tried to up the ante taking a boundary off Faulkner and then Miller smashed one over midwicket for a six and then pulled one over square leg as KXIP took 18 runs off 16th over.
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Wriddhiman Saha reignited hopes of KXIP win with two consecutive fours off Chirs Morris to put pressure on the South African bowler. Saha whipped the first one towards long-on and then pulled one wide off fine leg. Saha then hit the third boundary off the over wide of long-on, but Morris had the last laugh by cleaning up the wicketkeeper-batsman for 19 in the last ball.
Deepak Hooda came on to bowl his third over and Millergreetedhim with a big hoist over midwicket for a six. Another six followed in the over as Millerdanced down the track to take the ball over the midwicket fence. The big-hitter reached his fifty in the process, but Miller mistimed a wide one on offside and was holed out at deep cover for 54.
Chris Morris bowled an excellent 19th over, but a boundary, courtesy Mitchell Johnson's deft touch towards fine leg, set up for an interesting final over with KXIP needing 14 runs off the last over.
James Faulkner came on to bowl the final over and Johnson took four runs off the first two balls before taking a single off the third ball. Axar swiped the fourth ball for a couple and the fifth yielded another two runs to bring the equation down to five off the last ball. Faulkner bowled a wide full toss and Axar connected and as fate would have it, he collected a boundary to tie the game and take the match to the super over.
The first Super Over of IPL 2015 pits South African team-mates David Miller and Chris Morris against each other and Morris outfoxes Miller bowling a full toss that is missed by Miller and he is adjudged out lbw off the first ball. Glenn Maxwell slices the next ball a - full delivery - towards extra cover and takes a single. Morris then bowls awaist height full toss that is dispatched to the point boundary by Shaun Marsh. The Australian finds the gap again pouncing on to a back on length delivery towards midwicket fence. Marsh then dugs out a low full toss and hits it straight down the ground for his third consecutive four. Morris then comes over the wicket and manages to squeeze out a dot off the fifth ball and bowls a good yorker as Marsh and Maxwell take a single to take KXIP's total to 15 for 1.
It is an all Australian affair in the middle, with Mitchell Johnson with the ball for Kings XI Punjab and skipper Shane Watson and James Faulkner walking out to the middle to chase down 15 runs in one over. RR are ahead on the boundary count (during normal period of play). If the Super Over ends in a tie, they will be the winners.
And Johnson bowls the perfect yorker and uproots Shane Watson's off-stump in the first ball. In walks Steven Smith and Johnson too bowls a waist height no-ball and Smith connects to take a boundary towards third man. A fuller delivery follows and Smith takes a single to put James Faulkner on strike for the first time. Johsnon bowls a slower one, Faulkner misses and tries to go for a run, Wriddhimann Saha keeps his cool and hits the stumps and that is the end of the game. Kings XI Punjab win it it in Super Over to end Rajasthan Royals' winning streak. RR score 6 runs, losing two wickets in reply to 12 for 1 from KXIP.