An Interesting Script

59th match: Kings XI Punjab v Sunrisers Hyderabad at Mohali - May 11, 2013

Sunrisers Hyderabad 150/7 (20/20 ov); Kings XI Punjab 120/9 (20/20 ov)

Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 30 runs

Script of this match can be said to be an interesting one. Though the movement of odds early in the match gave an indication of what was to come. 

KXIP won the toss and put SRH in. The odds were in f/o Punjab at about 1.8 at 28/0 in 4 overs. And with 51/4 in 7 overs, same were still 1.42, which normally should have been 1.3 or less. 

They lost their 5th wicket also soon, to be 52/5 in 8.4 overs, and recovered well through Parthiv Patel and late order batsmen to post 150 in 20 overs. Duly helped by Gilchrist who dropped a very simple catch (by his standards) of Patel earlier on. Scoring in end overs of first session was in trickles to manipulate the session. On the contrary, there was brisk scoring (above average) in the end overs of the second session.

Given KXIP batting, 150 was not a formidable score to chase still. They started as usual, losing Mandeep early and rebuilding through Gilchrist and Marsh. But they lost their wickets of consecutive balls in the 8th over, much before punters would have expected. Miller, continuing with his memory loss, followed them soon, and the game was over much earlier than anyone would or could have imagined when Gilchrist and Marsh were comfortably hitting boundaries. The substantial 5th wicket partnership that followed was of no consequence either to the match or to the odds, since Pomersbach, an inclusion in place of dreaded David Hussey and a known hitter, continued to search for the ball as per his brief. His bat was able to contact the ball only after there was no chance left for his team.

When Gilchrist and Marsh were rebuilding, Shastri came on the air to tell us that this pitch/wicket suited them both and suggested that there shouldn't be problem for KXIP to chase this moderate total. And a couple of overs after that, the match was virtually over in f/o SRH.