KXIP vs DC Man of the Match: The opening batsman from Delhi Capitals received the ‘Man of the Match’ award in Dubai tonight.
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During the 38th match of the ongoing 13th season of the Indian Premier League between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capitals in Dubai, Kings XI Punjab beat Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets. Having won four out of their 10 matches now, Kings XI have risen to the fifth position on the points table.
Chasing a 165-run target, Punjab lost their opening batsmen cheaply unlike previous matches. While veteran batsman Chris Gayle initiated the counter-attack in the powerplay with his 29 (13), it was Nicholas Pooran who second IPL half-century handed a much-needed advantage to KXIP.
Coming in to bat at No. 4 in the sixth over, Pooran didn’t let Kings XI feel Gayle’s loss. Much like Gayle, Pooran also attacked Capitals pacer Tushar Deshpande as he hit him for a couple of fours and two sixes in the ninth over. In the next over, Pooran treated DC all-rounder Marcus Stoinis in a similar manner to further up the ante.
With Pooran eventually scoring 53 (28) with the help of six fours and three sixes, Kings XI received a much-needed boost in the middle-overs especially in the absence of their top-order.
KXIP vs DC Man of the Match
Earlier, Capitals had scored 164/5 in 20 overs after their captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat. Having become the first player to score consecutive IPL centuries, Shikhar Dhawan top-scored for his team with 106* (61) with the help of 12 fours and three sixes.
In what is a rarity in the IPL, the 34-year old player was declared the ‘Man of the Match’ despite being from the losing side.
“I took the responsibility of holding one end up and was also hitting the boundaries when I got the chance. On my Test debut, I remember, I was scoring this frequently. I took proper rest and was fresh for this match,” Dhawan told host broadcaster Star Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.
