The second match of the IPL 2018 saw Kings XI Punjab locking horns with the Delhi Daredevils in Mohali, where the former registered a comprehensive 6-wicket victory.
KXIP opener KL Rahul proved the worth of his 11 crore bid by hitting a breathtaking 14-ball fifty – the fastest in the history of IPL. Rahul got dismissed for 16-ball 51 (6 fours and 4 sixes), but his effort was more than enough to dent the Daredevils as KXIP notched up the target with 7 balls to spare.
After being put into bat, DD rode on their skipper Gautam Gambhir’s 42-ball 55 to post a competitive total of 166 on the board. Making his debut in the IPL, the 17-year-old Afghanistan off-spinner – Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the pick of the bowler for KXIP as he scalped 2 wickets for 28 runs in his 4 overs. Pacer Mohit Sharma also chipped in with 2 for 33 in his quota of overs.
In reply, Punjab started the innings with a flier as KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put on 58 runs for the opening wicket in just 3.2 overs. Although the local boy Yuvraj Singh (12 off 22 balls) got dismissed cheaply, but a well-composed 50 off 33 balls from Karun Nair in addition to some level-headed strike-rotation from David Miller (24 off 23 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (22 off 15 balls) saw the hosts home with ease.
As always the Twitterverse was buzzing with humour, wit and sarcasm during the match. Here are some of the top tweets praising KXIP’s stellar show in their first match of IPL 2018:
Has the pitch changed character or is has it been exceptional batting from the Kxip batsmen especially @klrahul11 have made this chase look simple so far #VivoIPL2018
— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) April 8, 2018
What a lightening performance from #klrahul ... Match stealing runs #KXIPvDD #IPL2018
— Sudiip Tyagi (@sudiiptyagi) April 8, 2018
Game is now with @lionsdenkxip, they have to put their heads down and bat without losing any wicket. As far as I know @GautamGambhir is a very smart and aggressive captain.. he will ask his bowlers to go for the kill. Unfortunately that’s the only way out. #KXIPvDD #VivoIPL2018
— Prragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) April 8, 2018
Fastest 50 in @IPL the bar gets pushed yet again, this time by #KLRahul ,and he did it with proper shots #KXIPvDD #IPL2018 #BadriBytes
— subramani badrinath (@s_badrinath) April 8, 2018
A sensational innings from @klrahul11 today. Took the game away from @DelhiDaredevils right from the start. Well done @lionsdenkxip! ???? #IPL2018 #KXIPvDD pic.twitter.com/KxyecapmLL
— R P Singh (@rpsingh) April 8, 2018
We’ve seen some special strokeplay from K L Rahul here today on Mohali. 50 from 13 balls: he is some special talent. Have his team a lot of breathing space in the run chase. #vivoipl2018.
— ian bishop (@irbishi) April 8, 2018
bangalore boys liking it in chandigarh #KXIPvDD
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) April 8, 2018
That’s the beauty of IPL. We haven’t finished two matches yet and we have already seen 2 young spinners create an impact. Yesterday it was Markande and today Mujeeb was excellent. #KXIPvsDD
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) April 8, 2018
Good start to @ashwinravi99's captaincy career. Fine all round show by his team to quell Daredevils
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 8, 2018
KL Rahul really put it beyond the Daredevils with that blistering 14 ball 50. Good beginning for Ashwin the captain. #KXIPvDD
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) April 8, 2018