5 memorable moments from the KXIP-RPSG match that don't fade away

This IPL will perhaps be known as the one with most number of one-sided games after a week of action. After some respite last night—where Mumbai Indians managed to drag the game to the last ball against Gujarat Lions—we are back to the divide of one-sidedness.

However, there is a bit of a change in this IPL. Usually, Dhoni’s team are the ones inflicting dominance on the others. This time, with a new team, it seems as though the tides have turned against the man from Ranchi.

He has lost two games in a row and both of them in a very unfashionable way. After posting a mediocre score of 152, Dhoni’s Pune couldn’t defend the total as some brilliant batting from the Punjab batsmen made it an easy chase.

And here are 5 memorable moments from the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes:

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Faf’s form continues

It seems as though this tournament is one for the opening batsmen as the three players in top 3 positions for the Orange cap are all openers: Gautam Gambhir of KKR, Aaron Finch of Gujarat Lions and Faf du Plessis for RPSG.

Faf du Plessis might have changed the jerseys from yellow to purple, but his batting is still as good as ever before. Giving the RPSG a great start, he himself scored 67 of 53 balls to lead the surge and give the middle order players a platform to launch.

His innings, however, went in vain because of an…

Ex-Chennai hurting Dhoni's new team

Mohit Sharma spearheaded the Super Kings’ attack when he wore their jersey. This season, however, he found himself going against the bunch of players with whom he shared a dressing room once upon a time in IPL.

And he got the better of them.

Being team-mates with the likes of Dhoni and Faf du Plessis meant that he knew their weak spots and bowled accordingly. In the 4 overs that he bowled, a he churned up excellent figures of 23/3. His spell stopped RPSG from making a big score that once seemed like a possibility when du Plessis was batting.

Unstoppable openers

150+ targets are always a tricky ask. Teams are often confused whether to all-guns-blazing or play their way out cautiously. The Punjab openers, however, amalgamated the two approach to walk the middle path and chase down the total with grace.

Manan Vohra took the aggressive route while Murali Vijay anchored the innings with steadfastness. Both of these players reached their 50s as Vijay ended up with 53 in 49 balls and Vohra smashed his way to 51 in just 33 balls.

This partnership virtually took the game away from the RPSG as it put up a score of 97 in just 12.2 overs.

Dhoni’s defending

While Dhoni the captain is highly rated, Dhoni the ‘keeper isn’t as praised of like he is for his leadership skills. Whether he is the best captain in the world remains a debatable topic, what can’t be argued that in terms of keeping exclusively, there is none better.

And today he showed just that.

When Manan Vohra played a very late cut to squeeze the ball past the keeper, Dhoni sensed his intentions and began raising his right leg in an attempt to stop the ball. And he succeeded.

It was a glorious stop, one that would have Iker Casillas proud. Vohra must have been dumbfounded with what he saw—and he should be.

Maxwell’s fury

It has been a while since we saw the best of Maxwell. He has been constantly accused for being inconsistent and he feeds those critics with his erratic displays of form.

However, today was one of those days where his fury was unstoppable as he turned the opposition attack to ashes with his inferno.

At one point, it seemed like the match would go down to the wire, but Maxwell had other plans. In just 14 balls, he scored a venomous 32 runs. And the way he scored them was just breathtaking.

He hit 3 fours and 2 sixes to finish the game off before it even reaching the last over—and also giving Punjab their first win of the tournament.