IPL 2018, KXIP vs MI: 4 unnoticed things from the match

In a must-win game for the visitors, Kings XI Punjab were hosting Mumbai Indians at their new home venue in Indore. On a pitch that had just runs on offer, MI won the toss and elected to field.

A sluggish start saw the beginning of innings for the men in red as they registered a below-par score in the powerplay overs considering the nature of the pitch. It was some late blitz from the lower order that propelled them to a defendable 174 in their 20 overs.

Chasing 175 on a flat track, Mumbai was always in the game despite a slow start by the openers. However, some power hitting from Krunal ensured that men in blue stayed alive in the tournament as they defeated Punjab by 6 wickets.

Let’s take a close look at some of the things that went unnoticed during the game:

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#1 Slow start for Kings XI in the powerplay

On a wicket that had everything up for the grabs for the batters, the explosive opening duo of Kings XI Punjab was expected to come to the party in the first affair at Indore this season. However, it didn’t pan out the way the home team would have liked it for them.

KL Rahul and Chris Gayle did manage to hit few shots but didn’t get off to a blistering start. In the first six overs, they just managed to hit 49 runs without a loss of any wicket. On a small ground, and a batting paradise, this was a slow start from the Kings XI’s point of view especially with the likes of Rahul and Gayle failing to up the ante of runs.

#2 Each Kings XI player joined the party

It was a rare sight in the match when each batter from the King's XI camp who took the field, stroked a six in their innings. The cause was supported by some small boundaries and a flat pitch at Indore.

However, not many who came to the party were able to continue the onslaught for a longer period. The likes of KL Rahul, Yuvraj Singh and Axar Patel failed to convert their starts into a longer inning. However, their quota of runs was compensated by Gayle and Marcus Stoinis; the latter propelled his team to a strong score courtesy his hammering in the ultimate over.

#3 KL Rahul gets to his 1000 IPL runs

KL Rahul has been a treat to watch in this IPL so far. He has relished his stint with Kings XI at the top of the order. A class player who has an exquisite timing on the ball, Rahul has been instrumental in providing some quick fiery starts to his side.

In the match against Mumbai, he clinched yet another milestone in his IPL career. The right-handed batsman got his 1000 IPL runs. He was just 7 runs away from this magical figure before the start of the match. His innings of 24 off 20 balls, gave his side a positive start at the top. However, the Karnataka batsman failed to convert his start before bowing out against the leg-spinner.

#4 Ishan Kishan yet again bows out in an unwanted fashion

The season was expected to be a turning point for some of the hot buys for Mumbai Indians this season. One among those was the Jharkhand Wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan, who had earned quite a name for himself with his consistent run in this year’s domestic season.

However, Kishan could not continue his start at the season as he failed to go big in most of the games. The wicket-keeper batsmen have been bowled on four occasions in the eight games played so far. This is always a terrible sight for any top-order batsmen to see his defence been beaten on most occasions.

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