Smith flattens Kings XI

Mohali, Gujarat Lions played party poopers as they beat Kings XI Punjab by six wickets to seriously dent the hosts’ chances of making it to the playoffs here tonight.
Already out of the contention for the playoffs, Lions (192/4) overhauled Punjab’s total of 189/3 with two balls remaining to leave the home team in gloom. Opener Dwayne Smith (74) did the bulk of scoring while Suresh Raina (39) kept it going in the middle overs. Dinesh Karthik (35) killed the contest with a four in the last over, which required eight runs for the Lions’ victory.
Having failed to defend successfully throughout the tournament, the Suresh Raina-led side opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
Hashim Amla (104) second century of the season to help the home team post a big total. Amla played a composed innings without taking undue risk and yet kept the scoring rate brisk. He along with Shaun Marsh (58) scored 125 runs for the second wicket to keep Kings ahead in the race. Marsh-Amla made scoring effortless without taking any risks and yet managing to hit a six or a four per over.
Amla took fancy to Lions’ most successful bowler this season, Basil Thampi, scoring 34 runs off the 13 balls he faced. He ultimately fell to Thampi’s in-swinging yorker.
Amla’s top-three scores his season — 96 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 104 vs Mumbai Indians, and 104 vs Gujarat Lions today — have all been undone by Punjab as the team lost all the three matches.
On Sunday, the batsmen had done their job and it was time for the bowlers to deliver but the Kings’ bowling department had an off day with the pacers and all-rounders drawing flak. Sandeep Sharma (2/29), at one point of time, had a lengthy argument with an umpire over a no-ball. In a do-or-die match, Kings’ fielders — David Miller, Manan Vohra and Gurkeerat Mann — dropped catches and the match slipped away from their hands.
Captain Glenn Maxwell said, “Pretty devastating. 189 was enough, the bowlers and fielders let us down. We dropped three crucial catches. We haven’t won a heap of games in a row. We’ve had to scrap. Unfortunately, we’ll lose Hashim Amla and David Miller now, and we’ll have to look deep in our reserves and regroup.”
Kings XI Punjab face Kolkata Knight Riders on May 9 at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.