Kings Xi Punjab’s resurgence; defends 126 against SRH

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) didn’t have a good start to their tournament as they lost their first match in IPL 2020 via a super over. Then Rajasthan Royals chased down a mammoth 224-run target in Sharjah and KXIP went on a losing spree that saw them at the bottom of the points table with 6 losses in 7 matches.

However, something clicked in the KL Rahul-led team during their encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore, a game which they won by 8 wickets. Then they next defeated Mumbai Indians in a match, which was also tied, twice (much about that later in the article).

This victory saw them rise like a phoenix from ashes and they defeated Delhi Capitals next as well. However, in their latest match, which was against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Dubai, KXIP batting failed badly as they could only muster 126 runs in 20 overs.

IPL 2020: David Warner's fuming face goes viral after SRH's loss to KXIP by 12 runs

All seemed over for them as SRH openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow added 56 runs in the powerplay overs. However, their spinners Ashwin and Bishnoi proceeded to choke the life out of SRH’s chase in the middle overs, as Manish Pandey made 15 in 29 balls and Vijay Shankar made 26 in 27 balls. But when these two got out, the remaining batsmen folded like nine pins.

KXIP bowlers Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh, who took three wickets each, displayed amazing skills in the death overs and SRH were bundled out for 114 runs in the last over, as KXIP won the match by 12 runs in an amazing fashion out of nowhere.

This win also kept their playoffs qualification hopes alive, as they moved to no.5 spot on the points table.