IPL 2017, highlights, KXIP vs GL in Mohali, cricket scores and updates: Gujarat win, push Punjab into a corner

Dwayne Smith chosen the Man of the Match for his 74 off 39 balls that laid the foundation for Gujarat’s chase.

Such a calm, magnificent finish from @DineshKarthik. But what about the #KingsXI fielding? How do you win with that?

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 7, 2017

Fantastic innings by @amlahash, his second T20 💯 & second this #IPL season but we were lacking a bit in the field & bowling.#KXIPvGL #KXIP

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 7, 2017

Most centuries in a losing cause in T20s:

5 – Chris Gayle 
2 – Unmukt Chand, Michael Klinger, Shane Watson, HASHIM AMLA*

RCB’s position in points table in each season of IPL:

2008 – 7
2009 – 3
2010 – 4
2011 – 1
2012 – 5
2013 – 5
2014 – 7
2015 – 3
2016 – 2
2017 – 8*

For the first time, RCB will finish at the last place in the points table in IPL.

After 19.4 overs,Gujarat Lions 192/4 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 35 , Ravindra Jadeja 7)

Natarajan bowls the last over. The first over is full and wide. Karthik hits it towards cover, and GL get an overthrow too as the bowler fails to gather the throw. Three runs off the first ball. The next ball is a wide. And then another wide. Inexperience! Natarajan gets a dot ball, but Karthik hits the fourth ball over extra cover for a boundary and that’s the victory for GL. That’s is the second time this season that Amla has scored a century, but KXIP have lost. It becomes a bit tough for Punjab to qualify for the play-offs now. Punjab captain Maxwell looks disgusted in the post-match interview.

GL beat KXIP by 6 wickets.

Got to feel for Hashim Amla. Yet another classy century and yet another loss for KXIP. #IPL #KXIPvGL

— Moulin (@Moulinparikh) May 7, 2017

After 19 overs,Gujarat Lions 182/4 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 28 , Ravindra Jadeja 6)

Aaron to bowl the penultimate over. The first ball is short and Karthik goes for an almighty pull. Not in control of that shot at all. Top edged, but the ball sails over the keeper and way into the stands. The next ball is hammered past backward point fo a four. GL have started this over well. That’s certainly what you don’t want if you are Punjab. Five runs off the next three balls. GL need 8 runs off tha last over. Would have to be a miracle for GL to lose from here.

Always stay ahead of the game. A couple of quiet overs, a mishit and the game can change.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 7, 2017

After 18 overs,Gujarat Lions 166/4 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 17 , Ravindra Jadeja 1)

Sandeep back into the attack. Raina goes big on the first ball, but fails to get the distance. Caught by Gurkeerat at the long on. For a moment that looked to be popping out too. Aaron Finch is the new man in. Slower ball. Finch adjusts  and plays it away to square leg and gets a couple. Sandeep gets Finch with his next ball. A short deivery. Finch gets a top edge. Ravindra Jadeja comes out to back. Plays an atrocious shot. The ball just misses his bat and the stumps. Could well have got an inside edge to the stumps. Terrible mix up between the GL batsmen though. Karthik dives and survives though. Saha was just a bit late to whip the bails off. GL need 22 off 12 balls.

The kind of win that we were accustomed to seeing from the Lions in 2016 on the cards here as Raina continues his fine tournament. If only his colleagues in orange could have matched his performances before the Lions were eliminated. This has been a really poor effort in the field from Kings XI who seemed to have lacked intensity in the field. Their chances of the playoffs are slipping away here.

Punjab have looked short of ideas tonight, and therefore have been short of wickets. Gujarat would back themselves in to knock this score off now unless Kings XI can take two or three quick wickets. KXIP really have a problem when batting sides go after them, the bowlers seem unable to cope with the pressure and tonight even the captain has look flustered.

OUT! Sandeep delivers for Punjab. Gets Finch now. Short ball. Finch pulls and gets a top edge to the ‘keeper. KXIP 165/4 in the 18th over. 

Finch c Saha b Sandeep Sharma 2(2)

OUT! Raina holes out at long on. KXIP 162/3 in the 18th over. 

Raina c Gurkeerat Singh b Sandeep Sharma 39(25)

After 17 overs,Gujarat Lions 162/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 39 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 16)

Aaron back in the attack. Karthik gives the charge. Cuts it to backward point. No run. Raina plays the 4th inside out. Totally messed up by Gurkeerat Mann at long off. That was probably the first time he has had something worthwhile to do in this match and he missed a sitter. The bowler can’t believe it. Punjab’s fielding has been pretty shoddy in this match. Four runs from that over. GL need 28 runs off the last 18 balls.

After 16 overs,Gujarat Lions 158/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 36 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 15)

Mohit Sharma in for his last over. Some variation from Mohit. Starts with a yorker, bowls a slower ball. But easily negotiated by Karthik and Raina. The last ball of the over is chipped by Raina over long on. Effortless. Great timing on that. Strategic timeout at the end of that over. 32 runs needed off 24 balls.

After 15 overs,Gujarat Lions 148/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 28 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 13)

Natarajan back into the attack. Raina cits him to the deep square leg fence. A boundary off the first ball and the bowler is immediately under pressure. Raina and Karthik keep the scoreboard ticking. These two are the suitable players    for this sutuation. 11 runs taken without any difficulty. GL need 42 runs from 30 balls.

After 14 overs,Gujarat Lions 137/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 23 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 8)

Mohit back into the attack. Karthik drives the first ball to extra cover. Some misfield. A single taken. A good-looking off drive by Raina on the next ball. Fielded at long off. Another single. A single of every ball off that over. GL need 53 off 36 balls. They would fancy this one.

Did you know?

Suresh Raina becomes the second player to hit 400 fours in IPL after Gautam Gambhir.

After 13 overs,Gujarat Lions 131/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 20 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 5)

Axar back into the attack. Raina runs the first ball down to third man. A couple taken. Raina and Karthik milks the bowling. Karthik moves outside off and plays a cheeky shot over the ‘keeper’s head. Doesn’t connect it as well as he would have wanted to. Eight runs from that over. GL need 59 runs off 42 balls.

KXIP are just struggling to find consistency with the ball. After one or two good deliveries the inevitable boundary ball comes. They have been particularly poor at starting and finishing off their overs, which really adds to the pressure. They’ve been poor when put under the pump this IPL, it’ll be interesting to see if they can respond to the challenge being thrown at them by the Lions’ batsmen.

Did you know?

Suresh Raina has scored 400-plus runs in eight seasons of IPL – the most by any player.
2008, 2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2017

400-plus runs in most IPL seasons:

8 – Suresh Raina 
6 – Rohit Sharma 
5 – Gautam Gambhir, David Warner

After 12 overs,Gujarat Lions 123/2 ( Suresh Raina (C) 16 , Dinesh Karthik (W) 1)

Maxwell back in the attack. Smith hammers one straight down the ground for six. A camera captures KXIP mentor Virender Sehwag in the dug out. He looks dejected. Tries to get another one off the next ball. But doesn’t get the distance. Caught at deep mid wicket. Dinesh Karthik is the new man at the crease. Nine off the over and a wicket.

YES!! Big wicket of Smith as @Martyguptill catches him in the deep off #GlennMaxwell bowling.
GL 120/2 off 11.2 overs.#KXIPvGL #KXIP

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 7, 2017

OUT! Smith caught in the deep, trying to hit another six. KXIP 120/2 in the 12th over. 

Dwayne Smith c Guptill b Maxwell 74(39)

After 11 overs,Gujarat Lions 114/1 ( Dwayne Smith 68 , Suresh Raina (C) 14)

Aaron back into the attack. Three runs from the first three balls. Raina rapped on the pads on the fourth ball. Clearly pitched outside leg. Not out. The next ball is short and Raina swats it away for a boundary at mid wicket. A tennis shot. Brett Lee gets it spot on on commentary. With that Raina brings up 4,500 runs in IPL – the first man to do so. Gets back to back fours as he gets one to fine leg. 11 runs from that over.

This has been an insipid fielding display from the Kings XI who are in danger of throwing away a decent chance to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dwayne Smith has been dropped twice and he is making the most of his good fortune as the West Indian gets his first decent score of this year’s tournament. It could be that his first match winning contribution comes after his team have been eliminated.

After 10 overs,Gujarat Lions 103/1 ( Dwayne Smith 67 , Suresh Raina (C) 5)

Natarajan in the attack. A mix up between the GL batsmen and Smith had almost run to the other end. Would have been out with a direct hit. The bowler needed to be behind the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Had he collected and broken the stumps, Smith would have still been struggling. The next ball produces a wicket. Ishan comes down the track and heaves it to deep mid wicket. Miller holds on this time. And sighs in relief. Makes amends for his earlier dropped chance. Raina is teh next man in. Smith is going great guns though. Goes over the top. Just clears the man at long on. Raina gets a boundary at deep square leg off the last ball to make it another good over for GL. 12 runs from that over and a wicket.

Looks like a thriller in the works in Mohali. #GujaratLions may be out but they are giving this everything they have.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 7, 2017

OUT! Ishan heaves one from Natarajan away. Miller takes a good catch at deep mid wicket. KXIP 91/1 in the 10th over. 

Ishan Kishan c (sub)Miller b T Natarajan 29(24)

That no-ball incident looks to have really bothered the Kings XI players. Even Maxwell looks hot under the collar. Two dropped catches would not be helping the captain’s temperature right now! Gujarat taking advantage of a side that looks rattled right now. It’s up to the captain to steady the ship and get his side back on track – Dwayne Smith’s wicket will go a long way towards helping that.

After 9 overs,Gujarat Lions 91/0 ( Dwayne Smith 60 , Ishan Kishan 29)

Axar continues. Smith goes after him. The first ball is hit straight, high and handsome. Six! Another good over for GL. Ten from it.

After 8 overs,Gujarat Lions 81/0 ( Dwayne Smith 52 , Ishan Kishan 27)

Maxwell into the attack. Ishan pulls aqnd finds the boundary at midwicket. Ishan gets another boundary in the over. Past point this time. Smith hits the fifth ball down the ground. Good attempt at long on. Falls just short of the fielder. 12 runs from that over.

After 7 overs,Gujarat Lions 69/0 ( Dwayne Smith 51 , Ishan Kishan 16)

Axar into the attack. Five runs off the first five balls and the last ball is hit straight and hadsome. Six! Fifty for Smith off 28 balls. Gujarat are putting up a good fight. Strategic timeout taken at the end of the over.

Remember another strange no-ball in IPL 2009 when Mashrafe Mortaza was called vs DC, as there were just three inside the circle.#KXIPvGL

— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) May 7, 2017

After 6 overs,Gujarat Lions 58/0 ( Dwayne Smith 43 , Ishan Kishan 13)

Mohit Sharma back into the attack. Slower delivery. Ishan gets a single on the first ball and the fifty-run partnership up for the first wicket. The third ball is despathced over mid wicket. Imperious from Smith. Tries to heave the  next ball, but hits it straight up in the air. This should be easy for David Miller at mid off. Smith is cursing himself already. But can you believe it? Miller drops a dolly. A sigh of relief from Smith. Wears his heart on his sleeve.  Miller looks distraught. Nine runs from that over. Gujarat have done well in the power play.

That gesture from Sandeep shd get him a match ban in my book.
May I also say this @IPL will be remembered for poor fielding and umpiring.

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) May 7, 2017

This is the exact start that the Lions needed and they are in with a good chance of chasing this down. This is the Dwayne Smith that has been so dominant in the IPL in the past when wearing the yellow of CSK. There is a long way to go, but Kings XI had their chance to get rid of him when David Miller put down the easiest of chances.

Kings XI haven’t found the right length so far, maybe fearing Dwayne Smith’s power. By bowling a shorter length they haven’t got any swing, which is Sandeep’s main weapon, and that has made batting easy for Smith. The West Indian is putting the pressure on the Punjab bowlers by finding the boundary with regularity.

The bowler changed sides without informing the umpire and hence it is given a no ball. Not sure I have seen that ever before.

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) May 7, 2017

After 5 overs,Gujarat Lions 49/0 ( Dwayne Smith 38 , Ishan Kishan 9)

Sandeep continues. The second ball is banged in short and Ishan cuts it hard. Aerial and towards third man. Short of the fielder. Single. The next ball is straight and pitched up and Smith goes down the ground. Four! Sandeep raps Smith on the thigh pads with nhis next delivery. Way high for the decision to go in his favour. Don’t know why he was appealing there. Not once but thrice. No ball called on the fifth ball.

Sandeep is arguing animatedly with the umpire. KXIP captain Maxwell also getting involved. Apparently Sandeep had switched to round the wicket without informing the umpire. Sandeep is livid. The match referee would pencil that in. Replays however show that Sandeep had indeep informed the umpire about the change of sides. Extremely poor umpiring. Sandeep ended up bowling from the side the non-striker was standing in. If the players are to be hauled up for misbehaviour, the umpires must be hauled up for such faux pas too.

The free hit ball is good and Ishan could hit it down to long on only for one. The last ball is driven with authority through extra cover for a boundary.

Umpire has signalled no-ball because Sandeep Sharma didn't tell him he was going to bowl around the wicket ? Is there such a rule? #IPL

— Gav Joshi (@Gampa_cricket) May 7, 2017

After 4 overs,Gujarat Lions 36/0 ( Dwayne Smith 29 , Ishan Kishan 7)

Varun Aaron into the attack. Smith a couple of twos from the first two balls. The third ball is a slower one, but short and Smity guides it through point for a boundary. That was in the air but in the gap as well. Smith gets an outside  edge off the fourth ball. The ball travels towards third man, but will fall short of the fielders. Sandeep puts in a valiant attempt at the fence, but can’t save the boundary. Smith is getting a move on. 13 runs from that over.

After 3 overs,Gujarat Lions 23/0 ( Dwayne Smith 16 , Ishan Kishan 7)

Sandeep continues. Amla off the field. David Miller comes in as a substitute. Amla apparently is a bit tired after that phenomenal knock. He has git a sore toe too. The third ball is punched off the back foot through cover. Four! Shot of the innings so far. Saandeep fields well off nhis own bowling on the fifth ball. Six runs from that over.

After 2 overs,Gujarat Lions 17/0 ( Dwayne Smith 11 , Ishan Kishan 6)

Mohit Sharma bowls the second over of the GL innings. The first ball is on the pads. Smith plays a wristy flick. Gets a boundary at deep square leg. The ball runs away. Smith gets another boundary on the third ball. A half volley and played sweetly through extra cover. Ten runs from that over.

Batsmen with  triple-century in Tests and two or more century in T20s:

Chris Gayle
Mahela Jayawardene
Virender Sehwag
Brendon McCullum
HASHIM AMLA*

After 1 overs,Gujarat Lions 7/0 ( Dwayne Smith 2 , Ishan Kishan 5)

Ishan Kishan and Dwayne Smith opens the batting for Gujarat. Sandeep Sharma bowls the first over for Punjab. The second ball is on the pads and turned away with a flick of the wrists by Ishan for a boundary. Seven runs from that over.

Highest targets successfully chased at Mohali in IPL:

191 – KXIP v RCB, 2013
191 – KXIP v DC, 2012
189 – KXIP v CSK, 2011 

Highest targest successfully chased by Gujarat Lions in IPL:

196 v RPS at Pune in 2016
188 v KKR at Kolkata in 2017
181 v RCB at Rajkot in 2016

Most centuries against a team in IPL:

7 – KKR 
6 – KXIP, GL*
5 – CSK, RCB

All hail the mighty Hash! What a fantastic innings by the South African champion. Amla, in partnership with Marsh in particular has led Kings XI to a formidable 189/3. Their partnership set the foundation for a flurry at the end, and despite struggling for timing Maxwell still managed to clear the boundary and help his side finish well. The pitch looks a good one, if a touch slow, so Kings XI will need to bowl as well as they have done in their last couple of games.

It could have been worse for the Lions and they will feel they have the batting to chase 190 to win against the Kings XI. For that to happen they need both Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina to fire. If the two most experienced players fail you suspect that they will end up losing this game by about 20 runs.

Gayle (2011), Kohli (2016) and Amla (2017) are the only batsmen to score multiple tons in a single #IPL season#KXIPvGL

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) May 7, 2017

Amla haters SEETHING again I see... #ipl

— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) May 7, 2017

After 20 overs,Kings XI Punjab 189/3 ( Glenn Maxwell (C) 20 , Axar Patel 2)

Thampi back in the attack. The first ball is played over extra cover. Four. Fifty-run partnership up between Amla and Maxwell. The fourth delivery is a length delivery and Amla cracks it over cover for six. That’s 100 for Amla off 59 balls. Second hundred for IPL this season. Amla in the The Punjab dugout and Preity Zinta are ecstatic. He is out on the next ball, but Amla has more than done his part. Axar Patel is the new man in. Hits the first ball he gets down the ground. Two runs. Punjab end with a very creditable 189/3.

If someone had given me odds of 10000/1 for Amla to score two 100s in one #IPL, I would still haven't put a buck.#KXIPvGL #IPL2017

— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) May 7, 2017

What A Innings!!!!!!! By @amlahash! Just Unbelievable!!!! Class Player... #KXIPvGL #IPL

— Rajesh Khilare (@Cricrajeshpk) May 7, 2017

Hail the Mighty Hash @amlahash. Is there anything he can't do with a cricket bat?

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 7, 2017

OUT! Amla falls in the penultimate ball, lbw to Thampi. Misses a full delivery and is caught in front of the stumps. KXIP 187/3 in the 20th over. 

Amla lbw b Basil Thampi 104(60)

Overseas batsmen to score multiple centuries in IPL:

Chris Gayle
AB de Villiers
David Warner
Brendon McCullum
Shane Watson 
Adam Gilchrist 
HASHIM AMLA*

Batsmen to score more than one century in an IPL season:
Chris Gayle (2) – 2011
Virat Kohli (4) – 2016
HASHIM AMLA (2) – 2017

After 18 overs,Kings XI Punjab 159/2 ( Hashim Amla 92 , Glenn Maxwell (C) 4)

Faulkner back into the attack. The third ball is a low full toss and Amla hits it straight all along the ground. Out of reach of the fielder. Four. The last ball is hammered by Amla, but falls just short of the man at sweeper cover. Sangwan stiops the bal but then can’t locate it! Finds it in the end. Amla into the nineties.

Amla manages a slog much better than Laxman. #JustSaying

— Ashish Magotra (@clutchplay) May 7, 2017

Perhaps it won’t be 200 for Kings XI, but this has been a masterclass from Amla who has brilliantly combined innovation with traditional shots. His only T20 hundred came for the Kings XI against Mumbai Indians in this tournament. He is well placed to get another.

Amla showing his class, and surprising the opposition with his ability to clear the ropes. Known for his timing and placement Amla has shown in this IPL that he doesn’t lack power either. In partnership with Maxwell he could lead Kings XI past the 180 mark.

After 17 overs,Kings XI Punjab 150/2 ( Hashim Amla 85 , Glenn Maxwell (C) 2)

Thampi continues. Bowls a slower ball that almost never arrived. Amla waits and thumps Thampi over cow corner for a maximum. The next ball is full and muscled down the ground by Amla. A single. The fourth delivery is of a yorker length. Maxwell squeezes it out for a single. Innovation from Amla. Tries the Dilscoop again. Sees the ball not being there for that shot. Pats it to the third man fence. Tried a similar shot a couple of overs back. Didn’t succeed then. Succeeds now. The next ball is cracked over backward point for a four. Gets width and there is a free swing of the arms. 150 up for KXIP.

Highest partnerships for KXIP at Mohali in IPL:

133 – Shaun Marsh/James Hopes v RR,2007-08

130* – David Miller/Rajagopal Satish v RCB,2013

128* – Mandeep Singh/David Miller v PW,2013

125 – HASHIM AMLA/SHAUN MARSH v GL,2017*

102* – Shaun Marsh/Luke Pomersbach v RCB,2007-08

After 16 overs,Kings XI Punjab 133/2 ( Hashim Amla 70 , Glenn Maxwell (C) 0)

Kulkarni in the attack. The second ball is hacked away towards wide long on by Amla. Faulkner does well in the deep. Kulkarni gets rid of Marsh with change of pace. Marsh hits one high in the air and Finch takes an easy catch at long on. Glenn Maxwell is the new batsman at the crease. The next delivery is hammered by Amla. A straight six. Punjab woyuld be looking to score big in the last four overs or so. They have a eight wickets in hand.

OUT! Finally a wicket for GL. A slower delivery and Marsh mistimes one in the air. Finch takes the catch at long on. KXIP 157/2 in the 16th over. 

Shaun Marsh c Finch b D Kulkarni 58(43)

After 15 overs,Kings XI Punjab 123/1 ( Hashim Amla 61 , Shaun Marsh 57)

Thampi into the attack. Shaun Marsh plays a sublime shot past backward point. Four! What a wonderful player he has been for KXIP for all these years. Amla tries gto be cheeky. Shapes in for a Dilscoop. Finds the ball not there for that shot. Plays it away to short third man. Awkward. Amla doesn’t need to play those shots really. He has far more in his repertoire to get boundaries even without trying these high risk shots. Marsh takes a single off the last ball. Nine runs from that over.

5⃣0⃣ up for @shaunmarsh9, solid innings so far from the Australian. Let's keep going Sheron!
112/1 off 13.3#KXIPvGL #LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 7, 2017

After 14 overs,Kings XI Punjab 114/1 ( Hashim Amla 59 , Shaun Marsh 50)

Kulkarni in the attack. Marsh gets to a fifty with a push for single towards point. Fantastic partnership between Amla and Marsh. Amla tries the upper cut on the last ball. Misses. Could have easily got an edge there. Five runs from that over.

After 13 overs,Kings XI Punjab 109/1 ( Hashim Amla 56 , Shaun Marsh 48)

Soni continues. Punjab take their score past 100 in that over. Amla also get to a fifty with a lofted drive to long on for a single. Amla goes big on the last ball. Goes down the ground. Maximum. Ten runs from that over. And timeout after that over.

This already has the look of another embarrassing loss for the Lions with Kings XI well placed to score over 200. With McCullum gone there will be huge pressure on the out of form Dwayne Smith to get his team off to a good start. The bowling from the Lions hasn’t been as bad as we have seen from them, but without wickets there is nothing to peg these overseas batsmen back.

Good partnership between these two. Ten an over from here will get Kings XI to around 180 which I think will be their target. With Maxwell in the sheds they could easily reach that target. Amla and Marsh have definitely laid a good foundation through smart manipulation of the field and putting the bad balls away.

After 12 overs,Kings XI Punjab 99/1 ( Hashim Amla 47 , Shaun Marsh 47)

Faulkner continues. Marsh late cuts the first delivery. Grets it in the gap between backward point and short third man. Four! Marsh gets one on the leg stump. Marsh gets it to deep mid wicket. Good team work by the GL fielders in the deep to save the boundary. Ten runs from that over.

After 11 overs,Kings XI Punjab 89/1 ( Hashim Amla 45 , Shaun Marsh 39)

Soni in for his second over. Easily negotiated by Amla and Marsh. Just milks the bowling. Eight runs from that over.

After 10 overs,Kings XI Punjab 81/1 ( Hashim Amla 39 , Shaun Marsh 37)

Faulkner into the attack. Amla and Marsh milks Faulkner for ones and twos. The last ball is full and straying on Marsh’s pads, and he sends it to the fine leg fence. Valiant effort by Ishan Kishan in the deep, but fails to save the boundary. Punjab in control at the halfway stage and looks primed for a late charge.

Very strong recovery from the Kings XI after the early loss of Martin Guptill as Marsh and Amla get settled. Once again the Lions bowlers look severely short of penetration and these two have now set a very strong platform from which the likes of Glenn Maxwell can go bonkers at the death.

Shaun Marsh’s slow start shouldn’t worry Kings XI fans. Marsh is a notoriously slow starter. Usually as an opener for Perth Scorchers in the BBL he takes his time to build his innings before launching a final assault. He is one of the rare batsmen to have a better strike rate outside the powerplay (in the BBL). If he’s there at the end of the innings Kings XI will have a good score on the board.

After 9 overs,Kings XI Punjab 72/1 ( Hashim Amla 35 , Shaun Marsh 32)

Jadeja continues. Strays down the leg side on the first two balls. Both of them turned to short fine leg. The first one goes past the fielder to the fence. The second one is fielded. Five more runs in that over, including a wide. Strategic time out at the end of that over

After 8 overs,Kings XI Punjab 63/1 ( Hashim Amla 33 , Shaun Marsh 26)

Ankit Soni to bowl the next over. Amla and Marsh playing the spinner well, using their wrists to good effect. Marsh gets a low full toss on the fifth ball and turns it away to the cow corner fence. Again fine use of the series. Nine runs from that over.

After 7 overs,Kings XI Punjab 54/1 ( Hashim Amla 32 , Shaun Marsh 18)

Jadeja into the attack. Five runs from the first four balls. The fifth ball is short and Marsh gets it through mid wicket for a boundary. Jadeja is not at all looking the bowler he had been for India during the home series. Ten runs from that over.

After 6 overs,Kings XI Punjab 44/1 ( Hashim Amla 30 , Shaun Marsh 10)

Faulkner in the attack. Amla goes straight. High and handsome. Six over long off. Delightful cut by Marsh on the third ball. Dwayne Smith pulls out a terrific stop at point. Saves a certain four. The fifth ball is a length delivery. Amla rolls the wrists over the ball and fetches a boundary at mid wicket. Wonderful timing and placement from the ace South African. 15 runs from that over. Big one for Punjab. They are going steady after the power play overs.

After 5 overs,Kings XI Punjab 29/1 ( Hashim Amla 18 , Shaun Marsh 7)

Thampi into the attack. Bowls to Marsh. Beaten on the first ball. Uppish from Marsh as he sends the second ball of that over to backward point. The fielder may have had a sniff. Amla then, cracks one to backward point nhimself. Jadeja flies like a goalkeeper, but fails to hold on. Would have been one of the catches of the tournament. Amla goes over the top on the fifth ball. Over cover and four. The last ball is pushed to point. Fine fielding.

Slow start for Kings XI, largely brought about by Guptill’s early dismissal. For someone with such a big reputation and skill level in white ball cricket the big Kiwi’s IPL record is quite mediocre. It’s something that is hard to put the finger on, but it may be due to the slower pitches in India compared to Guptill’s preference of pace on the ball.

Slow start for Kings XI, largely brought about by Guptill’s early dismissal. For someone with such a big reputation and skill level in white ball cricket the big Kiwi’s IPL record is quite mediocre. It’s something that is hard to put the finger on, but it may be due to the slower pitches in India compared to Guptill’s preference of pace on the ball.

Did you know?

Shaun Marsh becomes the first batsman to score 1000-plus runs on two different grounds in T20 cricket. 

1. W.A.C.A Ground, Perth

2. P.C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Shaun Marsh becomes the first batsman to score 1000+ runs at P.C.A. stadium, Mohali in T20 cricket.

Did you know?

Shaun Marsh becomes the first batsman to score 1000-plus runs on two different grounds in T20 cricket. 

1. W.A.C.A Ground, Perth

2. P.C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Shaun Marsh becomes the first batsman to score 1000+ runs at P.C.A. stadium, Mohali in T20 cricket.

After 4 overs,Kings XI Punjab 21/1 ( Hashim Amla 12 , Shaun Marsh 5)

Kulkarni continues. Three runs off the first three balls. Marsh gets an inside edge on to the pads on the fourth ball. A quick single taken off the next ball. Direct hit but the batsman is home. Eight runs rom that over. GL bowlers have not let Punjab get away in the first few overs.

After 3 overs,Kings XI Punjab 13/1 ( Hashim Amla 9 , Shaun Marsh 2)

Sangwan continues. Two slips and a gully. GL on the attack. Marsh drives, but Faulkner cuts it off at mid off. Important intervention there. Amla then cracks one to cover. Straight to the fielder again. The fourth ball produces a boundary. The first one of the KXIP innings. Superb timing by Amla. Goes to deep square leg. The fielder was not too far, but the ball won comfortably. The next ball is cracked again. Through cover. Finds the gap this time. Four! Ten runs from the over. KXIP getting a move on now.

After 2 overs,Kings XI Punjab 3/1 ( Hashim Amla 0 , Shaun Marsh 1)

Kulkarni bowls the second over. Amla plays a delightful cover drive but can’t get it in the gap. Great shot. Deserved a boundary. Quiet start by Punjab. One run from that over.

After 1 overs,Kings XI Punjab 2/1 ( Hashim Amla 0 , Shaun Marsh 0)

Guptill is off the mark straightaway, with a two. The first four balls are quietely played away. The fifth one is banged in short and Guptill skies a catch to Basil Thampi to deep midwicket. Big wicket for GL, given the impact Guptill has shown he can make upfront. Two runs and a wicket in the over. Shaun Marsh is the new man at the crease.

Lol, what was I thinking while making Guptill my batting star 😂

— Shubh Aggarwal (@shubh_chintak) May 7, 2017

For the Kings XI things are pretty straightforward, if they win their remaining four fixtures they are in the PlayOffs. For the Lions it is a bit more complicated as it is about saving face and finding a way to win convincingly. Their tournament is over, but they don’t want to embarrass themselves. There is no BMac for the Lions and Jason Roy is at Lord’s playing Ireland so they have only three overseas players. That is unusual.

OUT! Sangwan surprises Guptill with extra bounce. Banged in short and the ball got a bit big on Guptill. Easy catch at deep mid wicket.

Guptill c Basil Thampi b Sangwan 2(5)

Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill open the batting for KXIP. Pradeep Sangwan has the new ball for GL.

#IPL Match 47: Here are the Playing XIs for #KXIPvGL pic.twitter.com/kmvD1QXCWp

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

KXIP XI: H Amla, M Guptill, S Marsh, G Maxwell, W Saha, A Patel, R Singh, M Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, V Aaron, T Natarajan

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

GL XI: DR Smith, I Kishan, S Raina, D Karthik, A Finch, R Jadeja, J Faulkner, D Kulkarni, P Sangwan, B Thampi, A Soni

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 7, 2017

Another must win game for Kings XI, and another one they would expect to win against lowly opposition. In their win against RCB the bowlers came to the rescue so Punjab will be hoping for a much better showing from their batsmen, particularly their senior players and captain tonight. Batting first again they’ll be hoping to put up a good total, in excess of 170 to ease the pressure on their bowlers. Axar Patel has been their best all tournament, I wonder if he can keep his good form up and lead his side towards the playoffs.

One change each for the two teams — KXIP have Gurkeerat Mann for Manan Vohra and Dhawal Kulkarni replaces the injured Brendon McCullum for Gujarat Lions.

Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina wins the toss and elects to bowl.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Match 47 of IPL 2017. KXIP take on Gujarat Lions at home. Nothing to lose for GL, but everything to play for if you are one of those in the Punjab camp.  Maxwell and Co would have to keep winning to harbour chances to qualify for the play-offs.