IPL: Punjab thrash GL by 23 runs
Axar Patel wreaked havoc as the gun blazing Gujarat batsmen paraded around, falling prey to his twerkers. Patel claimed four wickets and was largely involved in keeping the run under check.
The Gujarat innings ended at 131 runs for the loss of 9 wickets
Chasing 155 runs, the Lions lost their first man for 13 on board as McCullum departed for 1. Skipper Raina (18) too joined his former Chennai mate, not before tonking a six and a couple of fours.
The in-form Dwayne Smith managed 15 with the help of a boundary and an over boundary and it all went downhill after his dismissal.
Dinesh Kartik (2) and Dwayne Bravo (0) did little to help their side, while Jadeja managed 11 off 11 deliveries.
Indian u-19 skipper Ishan Kishan played a steady innings of 27, but his luck 'ran out' shortly afterwards. James Faulkner (32) and Pravin Kumar (15) too tried their hands, but it was inadequate for their side, who never really recovered from the initial jolt it had received.
Mohit Sharma was the other star with the ball for the Punjab side, claiming three wickets, while Sandeep Sharma chipped in with a wicket.
By far, the Suresh Raina led Gujarat Lions is the most exciting team in this year's tournament. They have managed to keep their fans happy and excited by winning back to back last ball thrillers.
The team had had won six of their last seven encounters, but ended short today against a side who was batting form, losing five of the six matches they had played before the start of the match.
Asked to bat first, KXIP made a solid start, but lost steam mid way and were eventually bowled out for 154 runs with a ball to spare.
Skipper Murali Vijay played an anchor role and was involved in five partnerships.
Vijay's 55-run innings off 41 balls was laden with six boundaries.
Together with Marcus Stoinis (27), he forged a 65-run opening stand.
Though Marsh (1), Maxwell (0) and Mann (0) failed badly, a late surge from Wriddhiman Saha (33 off 19) and an assuring hand from Miller (31 off 27) took them over the 150-run mark.
Shivil Kaushik, who made spectators notice his unorthodox delivery style, starred with the ball in hand, picking up three wickets for his side.
He was aided by Praveen Kumar and Dwayne Bravo, each of whom picked up two wickets. Dhawal Kulkarni and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a wicket each.
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