As it happened: Kings XI versus Knight Riders at Mohali

KKR: 127-2 after 16.3 overs Gambhir 66, Kallis 30 Everything went perfectly for KKR. Gambhir clicked and as did the rest of the batsmen to ensure an easy win. No hiccups, no nerves, no nothing. Kallis finished things off with a straight six and that’s how the game went. KXIP have a lot to think about thought. Their batting just isn’t clicking and in T20, if you have that problem, then you are in big trouble. KKR: 74-2 after 9.5 overs MS Bisla b Chawla 11 (14b, 1x6) Another ordinary delivery, another wicket for Chawla. Bisla gone after an inside edge disturbed the stumps. KKR: 72-1 after 9 overs Gambhir 44, Bisla 9 This time Gambhir wants to make sure he leaves nothing to chance and fickle fortune. This will end early. There’s a Barcelona-Chelsea game later tonight and that is sure to be more interesting! [caption id=“attachment_280289” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Preity Zinta wasn’t very happy with Shaun Marsh’s dismissal. PTI”]  [/caption] KKR: 53-1 after 5.5 overs B McCullum c Mascarenhas b Chawla 15 (18b, 3x4) And that’s the first wicket. It was awful ball, down the leg-side and McCullum hit it, with one hand off the bat, straight to the fine-leg fielder, who was up in the circle. Bad ball, good wicket. KKR: 18-0 after 2 overs McCullum 13, Gambhir 4 Good start by KKR. They won’t want to leave it too late. Score when you can and you should be home scot free. And for the moment, McCullum is doing just that. KXIP: 124-7 after 20 overs PP Chawla b Narine 9 (10b) A yorker completes the job. KXIP never really got going. They are around 20 runs short of where they would have liked to be and if KKR get a good start, they should win. And then SRK might do another Ra.One impression. KXIP: 103-6 after 17.1 overs P Dogra c Kallis b Narine 6 (8b) Poor Gilly. He’s injured but he walked out to try and score some runs. But no one seems to want to stay with him. This is just not right. SRK let’s a smile escape his lips. KXIP: 101-5 after 16.4 overs A Mascarenhas c Tiwary b Bhatia 9 (10b, 1x4) Gone. But at least KXIP have managed to get to 100. Kudos. But they needed much more. Can’t expect KKR to go down two matches in a row. That would be a little too much. [caption id=“attachment_280232” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Shaun Marsh didn’t have a great game. AP”]  [/caption] KXIP: 87-4 after 14.2 overs DJ Hussey run out 10 (14b) Another wicket. Bad run-out and this is bad cricket from Kings XI. No communication between the batsmen and Hussey didn’t even wait for the umpire to give him out. KXIP: 86-3 after 14 overs S Marsh c Bisla b Lee 33 (30b, 4x4) It’s almost as if Kings XI have shifted into Test mode. Runs coming mostly in singles and maybe the wicket will help shake things up. March edged the attempted cut off Lee, Bisla manages to take it just before it bounced. Fair bit of doubt about whether that carried or not. Preity Zinta was almost on the field and ready to run it. KXIP: 61-1 after 9 overs Marsh 17, Mandeep 6 Slow and steady. Nothing that will scare KKR for now. This is almost as good as it can get. KXIP: 44-1 after 5.5 overs Gilly walking off. He looked to have pulled a hamstring. Nothing official yet. But this was his best start of the tournament ( and it will hurt Kings XI to see him walk off. Bad luck. KXIP: 24-1 after 3 overs P Valthaty c Bisla b Lee 8 (8b, 1x4) Too good to go on and on. Ball was too close to cut but Valthaty went for it anyway. Bisla took a good, sharp catch. Just a ball before the dismissal, Valthaty refused a call from Gilchrist for a third. He was ball-watching. Now, he can do it from the dug out. KXIP: 15-0 after 2 overs Gilchrist 7, Valthaty 6 It’s the IPL’s fourth anniversary and we can only hope for something special. Paul Valthaty gave an early indication with a brilliant straight drive off Brett Lee and that the Kings XI have got off to a decent start means that we just might have a good game here. Go Gilly. Pre-match Knight Riders and Kings XI run into each other again after having played each other just a few days back, when Kings XI Punjab emerged triumphant after a KKR collapse. The toss was won by Kings XI and they will be batting first. [caption id=“attachment_280151” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“David Hussey will need to get his act together. AP”]  [/caption] Narine is a superb bowler but the wicket has a bit of grass and it might be the fast bowlers who will do all the talking here. There is good news for Paul Valthaty fans as the youngster is back in the Kings XI squad. Brendon McCullum is also back in the KKR team and that might have something to do with the conditions. Squads: Kings XI Punjab AC Gilchrist*, P Dogra, DJ Hussey, SE Marsh, PC Valthaty, Mandeep Singh, AD Mascarenhas, PP Chawla, Harmeet Singh, P Kumar, BA Bhatt Kolkata Knight Riders BB McCullum, G Gambhir*, MS Bisla†, JH Kallis, MK Tiwary, YK Pathan, R Bhatia, DB Das, SP Narine, L Balaji, B Lee