IPL5: Pune Warriors V Kings XI Punjab – Warriors Prevail in home debut
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 saw them script a convincing 22-run win over the Kings XI Punjab in their first IPL fixture at home.
After playing their home fixtures at their surrogate home ground in Navi http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 side in the 8th
fixture of the ongoing IPL5.
Riding on an 81-run partnership between Samuels and Uthappa, the hosts posted a competitive total of 166 for 6 on the board, before a combined bowling effort restricted the struggling Punjab line-up to 144 for 8 in the second innings, to seal their second
win on the trot. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bipul-Sharma-c48120’s late blitz (35 off 18) was not enough for the Kings XI Punjab to make-up for the sluggishness of the top order.
Sourav Ganguly, the Pune http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sourav-Chandidas-Ganguly-c90746 provided the side with an opening stand of 28 runs, with the bulk of the runs coming from the bat of Ryder,
before he departed on the last ball of the fourth over. Ganguly soon followed in the next over to leave the hosts at 32 for 2 on the board.
Ryder’s departure brought the belligerent http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Robin-Uthappa-c2356 to the crease and his partnership with Marlon Samuels put the side on course for a competitive score. The duo played a succession of sweetly timed shots, which kept the tempo up.
The KXIP bowlers struggled for the next 10 overs, which saw Samuels and Uthappa posting 81 runs for the third-wicket. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Harmeet-Singh-c1533 broke the partnership on the last ball of the 15th over, bowling out Samuels. The right-handed Jamaica batsman
failed to convert his belligerent 39-ball innings to a half century, and he returned to the pavilion with 46 runs to his name.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SPD-Smith-c2555 once again came to the rescue of the Warriors with a pugnacious 25-run cameo of just 12 balls. The Australian all-rounder plundered Bipul Sharma for three sixes in the penultimate over of the innings, which went for 27 runs. He smashed Faulkner
for a scorching six on the first ball of the final over before being bowled out on the fourth ball. However, by that time the hosts had entered into a safe zone and ended with 166 for 6 on the board.
In reply, the tourists got off to a shaky start, losing the opening duo of Valthaty and Gilchrist inside four overs for a combined score of 7. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Abhishek-Nayar-c902 provided the side some stability with a 41-run stand for the third wicket, but
the required run rate kept increasing. With the required rate increasing at a constant rate and with wickets falling at regular intervals, the Punjab side never looked in a position to win the match.
Bipul Sharma showed some resilience in the latter stages of the chase, scoring an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls, but the cameo was not enough to save the side from their second successive defeat.
Marlon Samuels was adjudged the Man of the Match and the victory took Warriors to the top of the points table, just behind the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837 Royals.
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