Poor old David Miller. That was a quite astonishing innings and, had the match lasted one ball longer, who would have bet against him hitting that last six needed to win it? Really though, Kings XI only have themselves to blame, for bringing him in as low as five in the batting order and for the frankly pathetic support he received from his team mates.
Sunrisers then move up to fourth, thanks to a fifth win in six, although RCB are just a point behind with a game in hand. Thanks for reading. Bye!
Sunrisers win by five runs
20 overs: Kings XI 180-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 89) Another full toss and Miller slogs it high over mid on for six. What an innings.
19.5 overs: Kings XI 174-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 83) 12 to win A full toss on leg stump and Miller can only get it off the toe end of the bat out to midwicket. They don’t take the run.
19.4 overs: Kings XI 174-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 83) 12 to win A full toss outside off, Miller looks to go over extra cover again but gets the edge. It flies past short third man and away for four.
19.3 overs: Kings XI 170-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 79) 16 to win Full and on off stump, that’s a great yorker and Miller can only dig it out to long off. No run taken.
19.2 overs: Kings XI 170-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 79) 16 to win A full toss outside off and he’s smacked miles over extra cover! Nervous times now for Ishant.
19.1 overs: Kings XI 164-7 (Hendricks 0, Miller 73) 22 to win In slot the from Ishant and smashed over wide long on yet again for six.
Updated
19th over: Kings XI 158-7 (Miller 67) target 186 Miller wants two to mid on, but Dhawan is sharp in the field and gets the throw in to the non-striker’s end; Miller just gets back in time. Then a ridiculous shot, as Kumar gives the batsman a half volley and Miller, the bat twisting in his hand, gets almost a leading edge over long off for six! After a sharply run two, a full toss is clubbed out to deep mid on, but they can only get one. Axar Patel on strike for the last ball and surely he has to go after this? He’s on a hiding to nothing and gets out. 28 needed off the last.
Wicket! A Patel c Ojha b B Kumar 15
Patel gets down and looks to scoop it over the keeper’s head, but only gets the toe end of the bat on it and Ojha pouches safely.
18th over: Kings XI 147-6 (A Patel 14, Miller 57) target 186 Back to Boult, who has 1-27 from his first three. Patel digs out a yorker very well first up and manages to chip it back over the bowler’s head for four. Very nicely played. A thump down to long on brings Miller on strike. Boult gives him a slow bouncer and Miller backs away, giving himself so much time, and the batsman cuts over point; the replays confirm that the ball landed on the rope and so that’s his 50. Six more larruped high in the air and just clearing the rope at long on, then a single to finish. Poor old David Miller, he thinks he can do this.
17th over: Kings XI 129-6 (A Patel 9, Miller 44) target 186 Kumar back into the attack. This is just horrible now: Miller inside edges for two, then mistimes a hoik to no man’s land at midwicket for the same. Pulled to deep midwicket for two more, then Miller hits a rare half volley for a straight six.
16th over: Kings XI 116-6 (A Patel 8, Miller 32) target 186 82 needed now from 30 balls at 16.4. The pertinent question, I guess, is whether Kings XI can bat out their overs. They nearly lose another as Ishant loses his line, just straying a touch outside leg, and Miller swivel pulls just over short fine leg’s head for four. Miller steps across to off next and the ball brushes leg stump on its way through. A few balls later Axar plays a glorious checked drive back over the bowler’s head for four, hitting it out of the slot, out the middle of the bat and seeing it bounce just inside the rope.
15th over: Kings XI 104-6 (A Patel 2, Miller 28) target 186 This is just depressing now. Gurkeerat was twice in that innings done for pace by Moises effing Henriques. Axar Patel is the new man and he nearly has a fourth wicket when he finds the edge off Axar’s hack, the ball bobbling down to third man for just one to bring up the team 100. Woo hoo, yeah guys?
Wicket! Gurkeerat c Morgan b Henriques 3
Back of a length, just outside off and the batsman just pushes it lamely to point.
14th over: Kings XI 99-5 (Gurkeerat 3, Miller 27) target 186 Blow me, a six! Karn Sharma tosses up a googly on leg stump – presumably out of sympathy more than anything – and Miller smacks it over wide long on. An exchange of singles, then Miller slog sweeps miles over midwicket for six more. This is like when you hear a new Weezer song and quite like it: yeah it’s good, I like it, but the game was up for them, if not after Pinkerton/Vohra’s wicket, then certainly Maladroit/Maxwell’s.
13th over: Kings XI 83-5 (Gurkeerat 1, Miller 13) target 186 Wheeeyy George Bailey drops his bat! It’s one of those kind of overs. Ah some excitement finally, as Bailey goes on the attack and his rather sad little innings of six from 11 balls goes in the most understated of ways. In a way that was a very dignified exit, befitting a very dignified man: minimal fuss. Henriques finds a bit of extra pace to trouble Gurkeerat with a short one; the ball takes the shoulder of his bat and goes to short third man, but there is no short third man.
Wicket! Bailey c Warner b Henriques 6
Slightly back of a length, Bailey takes aim over mid off. He doesn’t get hold of it and slaps the ball rather forlornly straight to his opposite number.
12th over: Kings XI 79-4 (Bailey 5, Miller 11) target 186 Karn Sharma is into the attack. I’ll level with you: all we’re doing now is counting the number of balls since the last boundary (29). Karn goes up for LBW against Miller, but it’s going down leg. Even the bowler didn’t really believe that. The heart wasn’t in his voice. Speaking of hearts not being in something, the batsmen take two singles from the over, a two and a leg-bye.
11th over: Kings XI 74-4 (Bailey 3, Miller 9) target 186 Henriques drops short and Bailey throws absolutely everything at it. His bat, the kitchen sink, a caber... think of a thing you can throw and he threw that at it too. The ball skids dully to midwicket for one. Four singles from the over. I’d say it’s better than nothing, but that really is worth nothing at this stage. Around about 12.44 an over needed now.
Here’s what my colleague The Wires had to say about KP.
I can now reveal that Andrew Strauss and Tom Harrison asked to see KP tonight. I believe to tell him he wouldn't play for England again.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 11, 2015
10th over: Kings XI 70-4 (Bailey 1, Miller 7) target 186 Boult’s first ball is quick and full. Miller looks to turn it into the on side and gets a leading edge in the air, but wide of cover. After such a flowing, breezy start to the chase, you just feel that all of the life has been sucked out of Kings XI now. They’re deflated and the atmosphere in the ground suggests that even the fans know this is over. Two off the first ball, three singles off the rest.
The big question is - who will they drop to get him in the side...? Im talking about the Sunrisers.... #SRH #countycricketlive #ipl
— Innocent Bystander (@InnoBystander) May 11, 2015
9th over: Kings XI 65-4 (Miller 3) target 186 Another new bowler, Henriques. His first ball is short – probably too short for someone of his pace – but Miller gets just a thin top edge into his own shoulder. A wicket from the final ball and Kings XI have lost 4-23.
Kevin Pietersen is past 300. He’s got to be on the verge of an international call-up, hasn’t he?
Wicket! Saha c Rahul b Henriques 5
Steps back and looks to drive to long off, but the bat twists in his hand, he shanks it off the bottom end and Rahul moves to his left and takes an excellent tumbling catch at mid off. In just the one hand too!
8th over: Kings XI 62-3 (Saha 4, Miller 1) target 186 Boult is bag after taking some tap in the first over. Saha pushes to long off for one, then Maxwell flays a short, wide cut through cover for four. Boult gets his line right next ball and does for Maxwell with a ball that’s far too good for a slogger like him.
Updated
Wicket! Maxwell c Ojha b Boult 11
This is a beauty of a ball. Fast, back of a length and it flies up past Maxwell outside off stump. Unable to free his arms, all Maxwell can think to do is go on to the back foot, raise his bat, hang it in the general direction of the ball and feather an edge through to the keeper.
7th over: Kings XI 55-2 (Saha 3, Maxwell 7) target 186 The commentators are describing Maxwell as “in form”. I know T20 is fast and short, but does one good innings mean you’re “in form”? Anyway, Bipul strikes again, before Maxwell is about two or three inches from having his off stump clipped after missing out on a massive reverse sweep. He doesn’t miss out with the final ball of the over, smacking it cleanly up and over the straight boundary.
Updated
Wicket! Vohra c B Kumar b Bipul 20
Tossed up on a length. Vohra doesn’t quite get it out of the middle, the ball coming off the lower end of the bat, and it’s hit flattish to long on.
6th over: Kings XI 47-1 (Saha 2, Vohra 20) target 186 Ishant Sharma’s first over went for 11, but those numbers don’t really reflect what was actually a very decent over. Good that David Warner recognises that and gives him another. Five from it, all in ones. The required run rate is still under 10, which isn’t a problem when you have Maxwell and Miller to come.
5th over: Kings XI 42-1 (Saha 0, Vohra 17) target 186 Ooh shot. Bipul Sharma is the new bowler and Vohra brings out the most exquisite drive, up and over extra cover for four glorious runs. He mistimes one a few balls later and gets a leading edge just wide of Bipul, then Vijay is gone thanks to a canny bit of bowling.
Wicket! Vijay c Dhawan b Bipul 24
Floated up outside off and Vijay pushes at it. The bat’s far too far from the body and the ball doesn’t get too high, but carries to cover where Dhawan dives forward to take a very good low catch.
4th over: Kings XI 37-0 (Vijay 24, Vohra 12) target 186 Actually the last ball of that last over didn’t narrowly evade the keeper at all; it was miles over his head. Ishant Sharma is on for a bowl now. After a couple of dots he strays on to leg and Vohra flicks effortlessly over fine leg for a flat six. A very strange one that, it looked like there was no way on earth its trajectory would take it over the boundary, but there you go. One run, lifted aerially but on the bounce to the fielder at third man, then Vijay feathers another edge off a bouncer straight over the batsman for four. No control at all in that shot, but it’s working for him.
3rd over: Kings XI 26-0 (Vijay 20, Vohra 5) target 186 It is a good batting wicket this, so a successful chase isn’t out of the question. Vohra demonstrates this eloquently by clipping a straight ball square off his pads for four. A single gets Vijay to the crease and he decides to go on the attack, dancing down the wicket but unable to get his smash past the man at cover. Three dots, including a bouncer, follow, then the final ball takes the thinnest of edges from the wildest of swishes and narrowly avoids Ojha’s gloves on its way down to fine third man for four.
2nd over: Kings XI 17-0 (Vijay 16, Vohra 0) target 186 Boult from the other end and his start couldn’t be any further from Bhuvi’s. The first ball is swung up miles and miles and miles in the air and drops just over the rope at backward square leg. I think Vijay might have taken out a cheerleader there. The very next one is too full and clipped through mid on for four. A thick inside edge fetches the ball from outside off to backward square leg for one, before Boult finds himself alone in an appeal for LBW against Vohra. It was swinging down leg, as is his final ball, which gets flicked down to long leg for four by Vijay.
1st over: Kings XI 1-0 (Vijay 1, Vohra 0) target 186 Bhuvi Kumar and his dreamy, dreamy eyes to open up. You could cast him in a late-90s-to-early-2000s raucous teen comedy. Not a huge amount of movement for him first up, but he begins with five dots on a beautifully McGrath-esque line and length. The final ball is run down to wide third man for one.
KP watch: 252 and counting. Poor Andrew Strauss.
That’s a big total on this ground. Not monstrous, but big enough that you’d expect a form team to defend it against a hapless one. Back in just under 15.
End of innings
20th over: Sunrisers 185-5 (Rahul 17, K Sharma 11) Sandeep begins with a rubbish full toss that Karn middles over long on for six. The next is smote back along the ground, but the bowler gets his hand on it and they only get a single. Another full toss, but Rahul misses out on it and can only get one to deep mid on. Sandeep goes wider on the crease and gets in a good yorker, that again only yields one, but Rahul backs away to the next one and gets a deliberate fine edge down to fine third man for four. The innings ends in farce though as they set off for a run, the ball is in the bowler’s hands, and Sandeep needlessly flings it hard at the stumps with the batsman having given up. He misses and they get an overthrow.
19th over: Sunrisers 170-5 (Rahul 10, K Sharma 3) Actually given this bowling, they’ll do well to get 170 here. Anureet is full and straight, following Karn Sharma when the batsman backs away to leg. The result is three singles from the first three balls and then, when he does send down a leg stump half volley, there’s some outstanding fielding at square leg: Rahul flicked it away, looking for the six, but Vohra jumps and palms it back into play. Two runs. Ahh but then the last ball is a full toss that Rahul launches into the night sky. It returns to earth in the stands.
Updated
18th over: Sunrisers 159-5 (Rahul 1, K Sharma 1) This might be the difference between 175 and 200. Warner and Ojha gone in consecutive balls. Karn Sharma steers a straight one to long leg for just a single. Only two runs from the over – that’s a great comeback from Hendricks and the Sunrisers have now lost 3-17.
Wicket! Ojha run out 2
Oh dear. Rahul knocks it to Bailey at mid on, who spots that Ojha was backing up too far and threw down the stumps swiftly. Good fielding that.
Wicket! Warner c Gurkeerat b Hendricks 81
A full toss, Warner looks to... I dunno, scoop it, I think? I’m not sure even he knew where he was going with this shot. The result is that it just spoons up off the toe end of the bat and loops to mid on.
17th over: Sunrisers 157-3 (Warner 81, Ojha 2) 190-200 is still on here, especially if Warner sticks around. He gives Anureet the charge, turning his second ball into a full toss, but he bunts it straight to the man at mid on. The next ball is a proper full toss, wide outside off and mishit over extra cover for a four that lands an inch or so inside the rope. He was on one leg when he played that. Another full toss, Warner backs a long way to leg and he lifts it, inside out, over the top and away for a one-bounce four.
16th over: Sunrisers 147-3 (Warner 72, Ojha 1) It’s worth noting that the average score at this ground is – ha! – 158. Morgan falls to the second ball of the over, before Warner dabs a nice cut – one of those odd ones with the bat almost horizontal on the ground – to deep backward point for two. It’s a much better over this, from Hendricks, and the batsmen can only nudge and nurdle another two and a handful of ones.
It was Vohra who took the catch. They’ve taken the time out.
Wicket! Morgan c ??? b Hendricks 17
“Aww shot, Morgan!” coos the commentator as Morgan flicks one from knee height, up in the air towards deep square leg. Someone takes the catch just as the TV pictures die. Bah!
15th over: Sunrisers 140-2 (Warner 67, Morgan 17) It’s going to be Maxwell again, with Morgan facing his first ball. The England batsman defends that one, but then backs away and hits his second and third straight back down the ground for back-to-back sixes. Wider next up from Maxwell and Morgan goes over extra cover for four more. This is glorious, wonderful contempt. Pushed down the ground for a single and Maxwell might well be relieved to bowl to Warner now. Dot ball off the last.
14th over: Sunrisers 123-2 (Warner 67, Morgan 0) A dreadful full toss from Gurkeerat to begin with – chest high but hit so far over midwicket by Warner that the umpires forget to call the no ball. A nurdle into the on side brings Henriques on strike, but he goes to a horrible delivery. Morgan is the new man and that over was nowhere near as painful as you feared after ball one.
Wicket! Henriques c Anureet b Gurkeerat 28
This really doesn’t deserve a wicket. A long hop and Henriques dashes towards it. He slaps it very high towards cow corner but, in his enthusiasm, lost his balance a touch and as such it’s not the cleanest hit. Anureet, on the boundary, leans back and pouches it high above his head.
13th over: Sunrisers 114-1 (Warner 58, Henriques 28) Half-century once again for Warner as he comes down the track to Axar Patel and thumps him over mid off, hard for a flat six. The look of rage on his face as he hit that was amazing, as though he had once been cuckolded by the ball and only just recognised it. Six more over wide long on from the fifth delivery, just an inviting length ball, and that’s followed by a full toss that Warner doesn’t quite get hold of and can only get one. 50 partnership is up too.
12th over: Sunrisers 99-1 (Warner 44, Henriques 27) Maxwell is back and Warner smacks him down to long on, very nearly cracking Henriques’ sternum in the process. A couple more ones, then the bowler comes round the wicket. The result is, er, two more singles. Will the final ball give us something new? Yes! A wide ball that flicks the toe end of Henriques’ bat, ’megs the keeper and runs down to long leg for four.
11th over: Sunrisers 90-1 (Warner 41, Henriques 20) With an element of control so desperately, desperately needed, Sandeep comes back for his third over having 0-14 from his first two. It looks as though the batsmen are happy to see him off as they only take four singles from this over, with nary a big shot attempted.
10th over: Sunrisers 86-1 (Warner 39, Henriques 18) Sorry, meant to say we were having a timeout. Hendricks is back into the attack after going for 18 in his first over. He finds Warner’s outside edge, the ball going to third man on the bounce, but it’s a big front foot no ball. The free hit, with Henriques on strike, is a yorker outside leg stump that the batsman whips behind square leg for another four. A great big thrash over cover looks like it should run away for four, but doesn’t and they only get a single – this isn’t the quickest outfield – then Henriques edges deliberately through the vacant slip region for four, with the third man fielder just casually jogging towards it like a New Yorker out for some autumnal early morning exercise. One more from the over makes 13 in total. Warner is now the leading run scorer in the competition.
9th over: Sunrisers 73-1 (Warner 37, Henriques 9) Surprisingly, Maxwell only gets one over. Axar Patel is the new bowler and... well, there’s not much to say. Flat, quick and nurdled around comfortably enough to the tune of four singles. It’s one of those over, you know?
8th over: Sunrisers 69-1 (Warner 35, Henriques 7) Spin from both ends as Gurkeerat returns. His first ball is far too slow, doesn’t really turn and, even though Henriques is a long way down, it’s still treated as a long hop and whipped over midwicket, the ball kissing off the grass once as it flies away for four. Three more singles result in Warner being on strike last ball, and he too gets stuck into a short one, pulling through that mid on region I feel like I’ve written about so much in conjunction with him today, for four more.
7th over: Sunrisers 58-1 (Warner 30, Henriques 1) A wicket with the first ball for Maxwell brings Henriques, on the back of a fine innings last time around, to the crease. Looking at the reply, I think Dhawan was actually caught behind as there appears to have been a faint edge that even Saha missed. A single to Henriques and a leg side wide are the only runs of an excellent over.
Wicket! Dhawan st Saha b Maxwell 24
Nice thinking from Maxwell, who tosses it up wideish, turns it away a touch and watches as Dhawan runs miles past it. Saha whips the bails off.
6th over: Sunrisers 56-0 (Warner 30, Dhawan 24) Anureet again. His first couple of balls are decent and Maxwell could run Dhawan out after making a good stop at cover, but fractionally missing the stumps with the batsman a long ol’ way short. Warner then looks to clear mid on, but can’t lay bat on ball. That’s just one from the first four balls. There’s one off the fifth ball too, pushed to mid on, and a bye to the keeper off the last. That’s – as Andy Townsend would say – bettah.
5th over: Sunrisers 53-0 (Warner 29, Dhawan 23) Time for a bit of spin, with Gurkeerat Singh into the attack with his off breaks. Warner goes dancing down the track and takes just a step back too, flaying it through extra cover for another four. He goes the other way next, back and across to off, and shovels it round the corner for one. One more brings Warner back on strike but, despite shuffling back and forth across the crease, he can’t get the ball away from either of the last two deliveries.
4th over: Sunrisers 46-0 (Warner 24, Dhawan 21) Hendricks into the attack. “’Scuse me while I kiss this wide loosener smoothly to the cover boundary,” Dhawan doesn’t say, though well he might. Four more second ball as the batsman goes hard and gets a thick edge down to third man. Dhawan then knocks a single out to mid on, then Warner pulls a short one high over mid on and into the stands for six. One more run, deflected off the non striker’s stumps, then Hendricks sends down a wide. A single to finish.
3rd over: Sunrisers 27-0 (Warner 17, Dhawan 11) This is nice from Sandeep, pitching it around middle and leg but getting movement through the air so that, by the time it reaches the batsman, the ball is on off. Just as I write that he doesn’t get one to swing and Dhawan flicks it off his knees and down to long leg for four. Wider next and that’s too obvious a ploy, Dhawan getting a fair way forward and drilling it through extra cover for four more. Another one down the leg side and the bowler is thankful for an excellent stop by the keeper, diving to his right, to prevent the leg bye. One more to cover makes nine from the over.
2nd over: Sunrisers 19-0 (Warner 17, Dhawan 2) Anureet Singh from the other end; he got a fair bit of a belting against the Knight Riders last time around. He sends one down back of a length – it’s on a good line, but it’s slow and Warner has all the time in the world to pump a short arm jab over mid on for four. Lesson learned, Anureet pushes his length up a bit, which is all fine until Warner remembers that he’s one of the best T20 players in the world and clobbers six over wide long on. Actually that ball was only a fraction shorter, but such are the fine margins. The last ball is better in terms of length, but it’s wide of off stump and driven through extra cover for four.
1st over: Sunrisers 5-0 (Warner 3, Dhawan 2) Oddly – and I don’t know why they’ve done this – Warner is taking the first strike rather than Dhawan as usual. He makes an uncharacteristic start, three forward defensives, before Sharma goes too straight and Warner times it nicely through mid on for three. He almost looked subdued there. Dhawan on strike and a nice ball that swings back in a bit draws the false shot and a proper old school edge, down to third man where Hendricks slides across to save a couple.
Here we go. The players are out in the middle. It’ll be Sandeep Sharma to open up to Dhawan.
Kevin Pietersen has moved on to 158 not out at The Oval. Ahh that brings back the memories.
Not convinced that three changes are strictly necessary for the Sunrisers. They were going so well and turned around some iffy form in brilliant fashion with the new structure to the team. Anyway, here are the teams in full:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: DA Warner*, S Dhawan, MC Henriques, EJG Morgan, KL Rahul, NV Ojha†, KV Sharma, Bipul Sharma, B Kumar, TA Boult, I Sharma
Kings XI Punjab: M Vijay, M Vohra, WP Saha†, GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, GJ Bailey*, Gurkeerat Singh, AR Patel, BE Hendricks,Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma
Team news
Surprisingly, Sunrisers make a couple of changes. Bipul Sharma, KL Rahul and Trent Boult all come into the side, Bopara is one of those missing out.
In fairness to Danny effin’ Morrison, his pronunciation of Indian names and places is – to this inexpert ear – pretty admirable and has been all season.
Toss news
David Warner wins it. He decides that the Sunrisers are going to have a bat.
The Sunrisers could welcome back a familiar face, should they make it through to the play-offs. A certain someone, he who shall not be named, has a clause in his release agreement that stipulates he must return for the latter stages if his side look like progressing. As it happens, he’s scoring shedloads of runs for Surrey at this very moment.
Preamble
Afternoon folks. We’re into the final week of the 2015 IPL and, as we get to the business end of the season, the stakes and the pressure on the teams is ramped up in many games. This is not one of them.
Four wins in their last five have pushed the Sunrisers (Sunrisers? The Sunrisers?) up to within a point of the playoffs after a dodgy start to the season. That they’ve put on such a strong run is largely down to a change in tactics: the expensively acquired Dale Steyn and Trent Boult have gone out in favour of a bulkier batting lineup, while in the middle order Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara have finally made contributions to support the hard-hitting openers.
Kings XI Punjab on the other hand are to the IPL what Spiderman is to superheroes: just a slightly pathetic guy in a mask. This mask is one of a team that cruised, a year ago, to 11 wins in 14 and the top of the IPL table. They’ve been woeful, their star batsmen barely laying bat on ball and the bowlers barely able to lay ball on anything but the middle of the opponent’s bat.
Actually that last point is a touch unfair. Sandeep Sharma, their opening bowler, has sent down 121 dot balls this season, more than any other bowler in the competition. He has an economy rate of 6.85, which is quite excellent, but then his side has conceded 1,883 runs this season, which shows you how shabby the rest of the bowling has been. Worse still, they batted first in six of those matches, which doesn’t reflect brilliantly on the batsmen either.
In good form and with games in hand on three of the four sides above them (albeit with a strongly inferior net run rate), and all three remaining games at home to boot, the Sunrisers/Sunrisers have their best chance here of a big, thumping win to propel them towards the playoffs.
Play begins at 3.30pm BST, or 8pm local time. There’s a chance of rain, but it’s likely to clear in time for us to get a full match in and start on time. Toss and team news will come through shortly after 3pm, my time, so I’ll give you that when I have it. In the meantime, here’s some pleasant music.
