IPL 2020 | KXIP vs DC: Pooran assault lends KXIP sizzling treble

Brief scores: 

Delhi Capitals 164/5 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 106*; Mohammed Shami 2-28)

lost to

Kings XI Punjab 167/5 in 19 overs (Nicholas Pooran 53; Kagiso Rabada 2-27) by 5 wickets.

Kings XI Punjab have embarked on a giant-killing spree, registering their third successive victory as they oust both the front runners in the leaderboard - Mumbai Indians earlier and now Delhi Capitals in the 38th match of the Indian Premier League 2020. Nicholas Pooran's gorgeous fifty allowed KXIP to stay in the reckoning for play-offs qualification despite Shikhar Dhawan's second consecutive ton on Tuesday, October 20 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Punjab top-order comes apart at the seams

Having kept their body and soul together amidst the Super Over frenzy, KXIP panicked prematurely tonight. Lynchpin KL Rahul slashed Axar Patel with fast wrists but his adventure of hoicking a gun-barrel six landed down mid-on's throat. While Ravichandran Ashwin's slanter, with no diagonal component, breached through Chris Gayle's fortress after a rapid 29, Mayank Agarwal stood victimized to a moment of absurd running between the wickets. Adding insult to injury, quite literally here, was the fact that Agarwal limped off the field. 

Pooran the messiah as KXIP resurrect

More harakiri ensued, Pooran and Glenn Maxwell being the latest protagonists, although an off-balance flick from Shikhar Dhawan yielded the saving grace. Culpable of selling Agarwal via the river, Pooran settled accounts with an exhibition of dainty strokeplay. The naivety of Tushar Deshpande was easy fodder, cannoned for four and a maximum over cow corner before a lemon cut steered clear of keeper Rishabh Pant's airborne dive. Cherrypicking a highlight from his gamut of jewels is no mean feat, though Pooran trusting the bounce to cosh a fairly-decent length ball over long-on stuck out a mile.

No heart-racing finish for a change

The match-defining 69-run partnership was ultimately ceased by Kagiso Rabada as Pooran brushed a glove behind while swaying aside to a well-directed bumper. Maxwell discovered his groove after quite a rough patch with an ebullient 32 yet KXIP's uncanny tendency to mess up at the eleventh hour kept DC interested. And Pant covering a fair twenty yards to pouch Maxwell's top-edged shovel intimated in all likelihood towards another bottle job narrative. However, much to their sheer relief, Deepak Hooda and James Neesham wriggled across the helter-skelter environs and drove them home, the triumphant hit blooming off the southpaw's willow.

Dead duck Shaw a non-performing asset

Earlier, Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer painted the town red after Prithvi Shaw's cheap dismissal, an episode which is becoming as routine at the top as the rising of the sun. His swashbuckling technique has for long been a double-edged sword and is now leaving him red-faced with each trip to the crease. The youngster found merit in blazing his way out of the rut, albeit a cue-ended miscue proved bread and butter for Maxwell at mid-off. Such is the atrocity of the predicament that however illogical it might sound on the face of it, spending some time away from the merciless heat in the middle would do his mental state a world of good. Hopefully, we'll soon have the privilege of watching the factory of talent that Shaw is at the peak of his powers.

Gabbar sets the stage on fire

Dhawan rubbed his hands in glee at the notice of floater Glenn Maxwell opening the attack, easing a sighter through backward point before fetching six over mid-wicket with a top-drawer slog sweep. Mohammed Shami was the next man in the firing line, splurging three boundaries in the expensive 5th over. Dhawan tagging along his half-century concurred with Iyer falling prey to wretched luck, strangled down the leg off Murugan Ashwin. KXIP's weird obsession with Maxwell's sidekick off-break did bear fruit at last, as Rishabh Pant perished in search of a six over long-on. Undeterred, Dhawan rolled about his business with the sagacity of a monk and the resplendence of an artist. Until the previous week, he had zero centuries to his name in this competition and now boasts of a couple in his kitty. Better late than never. 

That DC wrapped up with a humdrum total left many scratching their heads, but it sheds light on the dearth of contributions from the rest of the pack. Dhawan bore the lion's share of the work, lending 106 off their eventual 164. Though went to the drain in hindsight. 

What's next in store?

Sustained glory breeds complacency, and DC wouldn't really mind a soft reality check to keep their feet grounded. As per Shreyas Iyer, it will only motivate them to take nothing for granted and rebound furiously against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday, October 24. 

From being outright no-hopers to stealing three wins on the bounce, KXIP have ridden the crests and troughs like none other. And they'd aspire to keep the ray of hope flickering versus Sunrisers Hyderabad later in the night sky of the weekend.

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