IPL 2018, KXIP vs SRH: 3 things you might have missed

A battle between the Kings from the North and the Orange Army from the South saw Kings XI Punjab hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. It was an opportunity for the men in red to make it three wins in as many matches at their official home ground before they shift their base to Indore for the rest of the season.

Well, going against the trend at the toss, Kings XI opted to bat first against the most economical bowling side in the tournament. The decision paid off as they smashed 193 runs courtesy a Gayle storm that tore apart the opposition to all parts of the ground.

Chasing a massive 194, Sunrisers were never in the game as early wickets in the powerplay and the ever-increasing required rate pushed them on the backfoot. It was impossible to make a comeback from that stage as Sunrisers succumbed to defeat by 15 runs.

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#1 Kings XI openers playing Bhuvneshwar cautiously in his first spell

In a T20 game, usually the stroke making in the first six overs is much evident from the batsmen but not when you are up against someone of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's calibre. On a pitch that assisted his style of bowling, Kings XI openers were cautious against India's best-limited overs bowler.

The explosive duo of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle have been instrumental in blazing away oppositions in the powerplay overs as they did it against the men in yellow in the previous game.

But this time around, both were extra careful against the much reliable Kumar, knowing the fact that he will bowl just two overs in the powerplay. It was a decision to respect the bowler and go after others to compensate for the scoring rate.

#2 Ashwin proving his unpredictability as a skipper

It was a decision that awestruck many at once when R Ashwin was nominated as the skipper for Kings XI for the upcoming season. It was the first time when Ashwin would be leading a side in a tournament as big as the IPL.

Known for his witty insights about his game, Ashwin made it very clear that he will be unpredictable in the season with his untested captaincy skills.

The skipper gave a testimony to the fact when he elected to bat first against Hyderabad in Mohali. It was a deliberate decision which in somehow broke a 15-match long streak of opting to bowl after winning the toss. The skipper has been much effective with some of his plans with 3 wins in the 4 games played so far.

#3 Six overs of pace in the powerplay overs from Kings XI

Ravichandran Ashwin once again stamped his unpredictability as a skipper in the same match with his plans being in the betterment of his team. It was a rare sight when Punjab bowled all the six overs of the powerplay with their fast bowlers serving the purpose.

It was somehow sealing the game for the side in the powerplay itself when they managed to bag two wickets with Shikhar Dhawan retiring hurt in the first over. Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran bowled two and three overs respectively to set the platform for the team’s victory. Andrew Tye also chipped in with an economical over in the first six.