IPL 2018, KXIP vs SRH: Williamson, Pandey's efforts in vain as hosts clinch win

Mohali: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) ended Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) unbeaten run in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), as they beat the 2016 champions by 15 runs here on Thursday.

Earlier, a masterclass by Chris Gayle (104*) had led Punjab to 193-3 from 20 overs.

In the run chase, SRH suffered an early blow as Shikhar Dhawan walked back to the pavilion after being struck in the left elbow, thereby being replaced by captain Kane Williamson.

Williamson scored 54 runs before being dismissed by Andrew Tye.

Manish Pandey (57*), too, played a hard-fought innings, which in turn went in vain.

For KXIP, Mohit Sharma and Andrew Tye took two wickets each, as the hosts got another two crucial points in the tournament.

SRH 133-4 from 16.4 overs

WICKET! Andrew Tye strikes again, this time dismisses Deepak Hooda for five runs. Is this the end of hopes for SRH?

SRH 113-3 from 14.2 overs

WICKET! Andrew Tye provides the breakthrough for hosts as he sees off captain Kane Williamson, who departs for 54. This is a huge blow for the visitors.

SRH 37-2 from 5 overs

WICKET! Mohit Sharma strikes yet again as the ball hits the bails at the off-stump to dismiss Yusuf Pathan for 19.

SRH 14-1 from 1.5 overs

WICKET! The visitors' matters just keeps getting worse as Mohit Sharma clean bowls Wriddhiman Saha for just six runs.

SRH 2-0 after 1 over

Shikhar Dhawan has been struck on his left elbow as he is forced off the field. Kane Williamson replaces him.

KXIP innings

West Indian big-hitter Chris Gayle (104) led from the front as he powered Kings XI Punjab to 193-3 in the 16^th match of the Indian Premier League against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Thursday.

Gayle and KL Rahul started off strongly, building a 53-run partnership after which KL Rahul departed.

The partnership between Gayle and Mayank Agarwal which followed was also short-lived as the latter departed for 18.

However, since then it all seemed to go the hosts’ way as they finished with a huge total.

For SRH, Rashid Khan and Siddarth Kaul picked up a wicket each.

KXIP 176-3 from 18.2 overs

HUNDRED! Chris Gayle is in the form of his life as he has just got to a century! Will this be a match-winning knock?

KXIP 101-2 from 12.1 overs

FIFTY! Chris Gayle continues his 'Gayle-storm' as he gets to his 23rd IPL fifty, his second in this season. Yet another masterclass by the West Indian cricketer.

KXIP 83-2 from 10.2 overs

WICKET! Mayank Agarwal has been dismissed for 18 as Deepak Hooda takes the catch at backward point, courtesy Siddarth Kaul's delivery.

KXIP 53-1 from 7.5 overs

WICKET! Rashid Khan strikes for SRH as he sees off in-form KL Rahul for 18, who is struck leg-before-wicket.

KXIP 38-0 from 5 overs

WHAT A START! The 'Gayle storm' seems to continue as Chris Gayle has already scored 27 runs, with three sixes and one four. KL Rahul (7) has been supporting him from the other end.

Toss update

Hosts Kings XI Punjab have won the toss and have opted to bat in their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

While Ashwin's team are unchanged for the match, SRH have made one change, bringing in Chris Jordan in place of Billy Stanlake.

Here is how both the teams lineup:

Preview

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will look to continue their winning momentum when they meet Ravichandran Ashwin-led Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the 16^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Thursday.

These are early days in the tournament, but SRH are unbeaten so far, having won all the three matches.

On the other hand, the only match KXIP have lost so far is against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Chinnaswamy Stadium. While they beat Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the tournament-opener, their most recent win came against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

For SRH, captain Kane Williamson is coming into match fresh from a half-century he scored against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and the Kiwi would be hoping for more of the same against the 2014 IPL finalists.

Wriddhiman Saha looks set to retain his place in the playing eleven, whereas Manish Pandey will be another key figure to SRH’s batting lineup.

As usual, the bowing hopes will be pinned on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddhart Kaul and others, as the 2016 champions eye another top-class performance.

For KXIP, all eyes will be on the presence of big-hitter Chris Gayle, who played a quickfire innings of 63 off just 33 balls.

Another positive aspect for the hosts of Thursday’s match is that of KL Rahul, who brought up the fastest-ever IPL fifty in Punjab’s first match of their campaign against DD.

Squad:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson(captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan, Shakib Al Hasan,, Manish Pandey, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha, Rashid Khan, Ricky Bhui, Deepak Hooda, Siddarth Kaul, T Natarajan, Mohammad Nabi, Basil Thampi, K Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Sachin Baby, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake, Tanmay Agarwal, Shreevats Goswami, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Alex Hales.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin(captain), Axar Patel, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Lokesh Rahul, Chris Gayle, David Miller, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Ben Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 8 pm IST on Thursday (April 19)

Where is the match?

The match will take place at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.