IPL 2020 Highlights, RCB vs KXIP Match, Full Cricket Score: Gayle, Rahul clinch thrilling win for Punjab

KL Rahul

“I don’t even have words. Towards the end, it got too close for comfort but thankfully we got it over the line. There are ups and downs and this has been the kind of rollercoaster that’s been crazy but on a positive note we needed this win. Chris has not been feeling well but he’s always been hungry. Anyone who saw him, he was training hard like he’s probably never done. It was a tough call to make not to play someone like that. I won’t take credit but it’s important to keep the lion hungry sometimes.”

Virat Kohli:

**"**Surprisingly, the game went down the wire. It was a good performance from Kings XI Punjab. (On AB de Villiers batting down the order) – There was a message about left-hand and right-hand combination. We wanted to go with it because they had two leggies. Sometimes things don’t come off. We’re pretty happy with the decisions we took, but it didn’t come off. 170 was a decent score. They bowled well. It’s not a great ground for bowlers but that’s not an excuse. There was no conversation with Chahal to be honest (final over). The only conversation was with the last ball. Credit to Nicholas, we didn’t expect him to come down the track."

After 20 overs,Kings XI Punjab 177/2 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 61 , Nicholas Pooran 6)

Finally, KXIP win the match by 8 wickets! Chahal bowls the final over. No runs from the first two balls. Gayle goes for the big hit in the next one but it just falls short of deep mid-wicket for one run. Another dot and follwed by Gayle’s run out. Pooran, under pressure, comes down the track and manages to clear the long-on fielder for a six. Phew!

Holy, what is happening out there? 

Somehow the equation is now one run off one ball. Gayle is run out. Gayle run out (Devdutt Padikkal/de Villiers) 53(45)

After 19 overs,Kings XI Punjab 170/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 61 , Chris Gayle 52)

Another good over for RCB and they’ve managed to take this match to the final over. Isuru Udana concedes just five but Punjab need only two from six balls. Gayle to keep the strike.

Chris Gayle 50-plus scores in T20 cricket:

Opening: 104
Other positions: 1 (Today)*

After 18 overs,Kings XI Punjab 165/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 59 , Chris Gayle 51)

In a different game. Morris’ over would’ve been excellent but it won’t make big difference today. Just four runs off the over, two of those from wides but Punjab need only seven from 12 balls. Maybe they’ll finish off in the next over.

After 17 overs,Kings XI Punjab 162/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 58 , Chris Gayle 50)

Virat Kohli got his tactics all wrong today. Sundar should’ve finished his quote before but Kohli kept him till the end and now the game is gone. The spinner goes for 15 runs in his final over. Gayle also completes his half-century.

After 16 overs,Kings XI Punjab 146/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 58 , Chris Gayle 36)

Both Gayle and Rahul knew this was the over for them. They had to take on Siraj and the over went for 20 runs. Really poor stuff from Siraj and no wonder he went for runs. Kohli is unhappy. He knows the game is now in Punjab’s hands. 26 needed from 24 balls.

After 15 overs,Kings XI Punjab 126/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 51 , Chris Gayle 24)

Saini to Gayle. He tries for the big shot but misses it. He makes the conncection in the next ball but it takes one bounce to long-on fielder for a single. Gayle is back on strike and goes for the big shot again in the fifth ball but fails. So a dot and a single to end the over. Excellent one from Saini. KXIP need 46 runs in 30 balls.

After 14 overs,Kings XI Punjab 123/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 50 , Chris Gayle 22)

Morris goes for his yorker against Gayle. He beats the batsman and the ball hits the boot. Umpire raises his finger but Gayle takes the review. Replay shows the ball hits the bat before hitting his foot so that’s not out. Gayle survives. Rahul gets his 20th IPL fifty with a single. The skipper delivers yet again with the bat. Four runs from the over. KXIP need 49 in 36 balls.

After 13 overs,Kings XI Punjab 119/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 48 , Chris Gayle 20)

Sundar continues his spell. His first bad ball in two matches and Gayle ensures he gets all six runs. So easily he clears the straight boundary. He goes for another big hit and he’s successful in this attempt as well. Another six off the final ball. Costly over from Washington.

After 12 overs,Kings XI Punjab 103/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 46 , Chris Gayle 6)

Siraj with the ball. Gayle gives the strike to Rahul with a single. Rahul then tries to find a boundary in the fine-leg region but it is straight to the fielder for one run. Gayle then gets an inside edge to a wide ball and this one also a single. Two huge sixes from Rahul in the final two balls. Punjab need 69 from 48 balls.

After 11 overs,Kings XI Punjab 88/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 33 , Chris Gayle 4)

Washington Sundar to Rahul and the batsman takes a quick single. Gayle is beaten in the single ball, quicker one from Sundar. Another 100 plus ball as Gayle knock it back to the bowler. Three singles from final three balls. So the Universe Boss has been kept silent, for now.

After 10 overs,Kings XI Punjab 84/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 31 , Chris Gayle 2)

Saini to Gayle. Two dots, the second one is a solid block. Gayle then tries to sneak a single after pushing the ball in the off-side but Rahul says no. The fourth ball is down the leg and this time there’s a single. One more single and a dot to end the over. Punjab need 88 in 60 balls.

Chris Gayle in middle-overs in IPL:

Average: 49.1
SR: 163.4
4s/6s: 90/148

After 9 overs,Kings XI Punjab 82/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 30 , Chris Gayle 2)

Chris Gayle for the first time this season. He’s off with a single in the off-side. KL Rahul tries to scoop one against Washington Sundar but he fails in the execution. Gayle takes a single off the final ball.

After 8 overs,Kings XI Punjab 78/1 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 28 , )

Chahal comes back into the attack. The second ball is down the leg and it results in a wide plus three runs. Chahal shows a big heart to bowl another flighted ball to Mayank after getting smashed for a six. He backed his ability and got the wicket of Mayank, who was looking so good in the middle. Wicket plus 13 runs.

BOWLED! 

Lovely from Chahal. Another flighted delivery, Mayank tries another big hit but misses it and the stumps are broken. Agarwal b Chahal 45(25)

After 7 overs,Kings XI Punjab 65/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 26 , Mayank Agarwal 38)

Mohammed Siraj bowls his first over of the night. Mayank flicks and it’s in the air but too high for short mid-wicket fielder. He collects two runs. A fumble from Kohli at cover results in Rahul stealing one run. After conceding a four, Siraj bowls a bouncer to Mayank. The batsman goes for the pull but timing is not right. The ball goes high in the air and falls in no man’s land near fine-leg. One run for the batsman.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 57/1 ( Aaron Finch 16 , Virat Kohli (C) 16)

Isuru Udana comes into the attack. Not offering the pace to batsmen as he bowls four consecutive slower balls with the last one going for a maximum. A single to end the over and we have a timeout. 10 off the over.

After 5 overs,Kings XI Punjab 46/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 23 , Mayank Agarwal 22)

The pressure is always on the bowler when the first ball goes for the six. In the third ball, Mayank takes a quick single after pushing it to mid-off. Udana does well to collect it and hit the stumps but the Mayank crosses the line in time. A four to end the over. Good start from Punjab openers.