IPL 2018, Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, Highlights: KL Rahul, Karun Nair guide KXIP to easy win over DD

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) defeated Delhi Daredevils (DD) by six wickets in their opening game of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mohali on Sunday. After being asked to bat, DD rode on Gautam Gambhir’s 42-ball 55 and cameos from Rishabh Pant (28) and Chris Morris (27*) to post 166/7. In reply, KL Rahul slammed the fastest IPL fifty and was supported by Karun Nair (50) as the R Ashwin-led side sealed the deal with seven balls to spare. Get highlights of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 match here. (SCORES | STREAMING INFO)

19:40 hrs IST: That’s it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it’s goodbye. Cheers!

KL Rahul (Man of the Match): “I just went in there and I just took off. I didn’t plan this innings. I was just watching the ball and getting into good positions. It’s an opener’s responsibility to get the team off to a good start. Really happy that it came off today. I was striking the ball really well, but it’s important to forget this innings and move on to the coming games. I don’t want to be overconfident. I have been branded as a Test cricket for 4-5 years, so it’s good for me to be up there creating history and breaking the record (for the fastest IPL fifty).”

R Ashwin (KXIP captain): “There is lesser pressure now. I had a bit of nerves going in for the toss. Feeling a bit relieved now. I had some elaborate plans going in the practice games. KL Rahul and the other guys helped me execute them. It doesn’t matter if it’s a left-arm spinner to a left-hander or a right-arm spinner for a right hander. I think it’s just the perception that one has and I would like to think my best bowlers are the best bowlers and if they get hit, so be it, we will try and chase it down.”

Gautam Gambhir (DD captain): “I thought that we got a decent total on the board but in the first 6 overs (of the chase), they put it beyond us. Credit to our bowlers, they fought back well to drag it into the 19th over. (Whether DD were short of runs) No, I thought that 160-165 was a good total because the old ball wasn’t easy to get away. Hence, the first 6 overs were key.”

19:24 hrs IST: Single and that’s it. Kings XI Punjab beat Delhi Daredevils by six wickets to register their first win of the tournament.

19:18 hrs IST: Five runs off Morris’ third. Kings XI Punjab are 157/4, need 10 off 12.

19:12 hrs IST: FOUR! Tewatia drops it short, Stoinis gives himself some room and lofts it over cover. Kings XI Punjab are 152/4, need 15 off 18.

19:08 hrs IST: Three runs off the last two balls for Stoinis. Kings XI Punjab are 141/4, need 26 off 24.

19:05 hrs IST: WICKET! This time Nair is caught at deep midwicket. He departs for 50(33). Marcus Stoinis comes to the crease.

19:01 hrs IST: SIX! And that’s fifty for Karun Nair. What an innings this has been from the Karnataka batsman! Too short from Christian and Nair clobbers it over mid-wicket for a maximum.

18:56 hrs IST: Mishra and Tewatia have tightened the screws a bit but isn’t it late? Kings XI Punjab are 126/3 after 14 overs, need 41 off 36.

18:52 hrs IST: Tidy over from Mishra, only six runs off it. Kings XI Punjab are 121/3, need 46 off 42. Nair 41*, Miller 10*

18:49 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Tewatia and Miller slaps it past the fielder at cover. Too easy!

18:45 hrs IST: Excellent strategy from Kings XI Punjab. One boundary every over and then singles and doubles.

18:42 hrs IST: David Miller comes to the crease. Single off the last ball for Nair. Kings XI Punjab are 99/3 after 10 overs, need 68 off 60.

18:39 hrs IST: WICKET! Tewatia drops it short, Yuvraj comes down the track, looks to clear the mid-wicket region but doesn’t enough power and Vijay Shankar does the rest.

18:38 hrs IST: Rahul Tewatia comes into the attack. Can he strike?

18:35 hrs IST: Great over for KXIP, 14 runs off it. They are 97/2 after 9 overs, need 70 off 66. Strategic time-out.

18:33 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Nair. The first one was hit over extra cover while the second was timed towards the wide long-on boundary.

18:30 hrs IST: Christian mixing it up well. Testing times for Yuvraj and Nair. Tidy over, only three runs off it. Kings XI Punjab are 83/2 after 8 overs, need 84 off 72.

18:27 hrs IST: Good over from Boult despite the six. Kings XI Punjab are 80/2 after 7 overs, need 87 off 78. Dan Christian comes into the attack.

18:24 hrs IST: SIX! Length ball from Boult, Nair comes forward and smashes it over long-off for a maximum. What a shot!

18:23 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Morris. Kings XI Punjab are 73/2 after 6 overs. Yuvraj 10*, Nair 5*. Trent Boult comes back into the attack.

18:20 hrs IST: FOUR! Full and straight from Morris and Nair flicks it through mid-wicket for his first boundary.

18:16 hrs IST: OUT! Rahul looks to scoop it over short fine leg but instead gets a leading edge and Shami takes a brilliant catch running backwards at the short third man. Karun Nair comes to the crease.

18:12 hrs IST: Mayank Agarwal departs cheaply. Yuvraj Singh comes to the crease and he starts off with a boundary. Kings XI Punjab are 63/1 after 4 overs.

18:09 hrs IST: SIX, SIX, FOUR, FOUR! And that’s fifty for KL Rahul. Fastest IPL fifty. Take a bow, Rahul! What an innings! Would be surprising if he doesn’t get a hundred here.

18:05 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller delivery from Mishra, Rahul makes room and smacks it in the gap between cover and mid-off.

18:03 hrs IST: Expensive over from Shami, 12 runs off it. KXIP are 28/0 after 2 overs. Rahul 27*, Agarwal 1*

17:59 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries and a maximum for Rahul. What a start this has been for the hosts! Boult has been smashed all around the park. KXIP are 16/0 after the first over. Mohammed Shami comes into the attack.

17:56 hrs IST: Time for KXIP’s chase. KL Rahul to take strike. Trent Boult to bowl the first over.

17:40 hrs IST: OUT! And that’s it. Delhi Daredevils finish on 166/7. Pretty decent score. Gambhir’s knock was excellent. We’ll be back in a few minutes time.

17:33 hrs IST: SIX! Fuller delivery from Tye and Christian hammers it over long-on for a maximum. Delhi Daredevils are 155/6 after 19 overs. Mohit Sharma to bowl the final over.

17:30 hrs IST: Magnificent over from Mujeeb, only six runs off it. Delhi Daredevils are 144/6 after 18 overs. Can they get past 165? Andrew Tye to bowl the penultimate over.

17:26 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Morris. Delhi Daredevils are 138/6 after 17 overs. Morris 11*, Christian 3*

17:24 hrs IST: SIX! Length ball from Mohit, Morris comes down the track and hits it over the long-on boundary for a maximum.

17:21 hrs IST: Ashwin finishes with figures 1/23. Delhi Daredevils are 127/6 after 16 overs.

17:18 hrs IST: OUT! Another reverse sweep dismissal. Rahul Tewatia falls to R Ashwin. First wicket for the KXIP captain.

17:16 hrs IST: WICKET! Gambhir goes for 55(42). Just the scalp Kings XI Punjab wanted. Chris Morris comes to the crease.

17:10 hrs IST: Costly over from Mujeeb, 11 runs and a wicket. Delhi Daredevils are 118/4 after 14 overs, Gambhir 52*, Tewatia 6*. Second strategic time-out.

17:07 hrs IST: OUT! Second wicket for Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Rishabh Pant departs for 28(13). Rahul Tewatia, left handed bat, comes to the crease

17:04 hrs IST: Gambhir completes his fifty. Can he score a hundred? Delhi Daredevils are 107/3 after 13 overs.

17:01 hrs IST: SIX! Length ball from Tye and Pant hammers it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum.

16:59 hrs IST: Another tidy over from Ashwin, only six runs off it. Delhi Daredevils are 90/3 after 12 overs. Andrew Tye again.

16:57 hrs IST: Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the youngest player to appear in IPL, at age of 17 years & 11 days.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Sarfaraz Khan (17y, 177d) was the previous youngest.

16:53 hrs IST: FOUR! Too full from Mohit and Pant smacks it past the fielder at wide long-off for his first boundary.

16:51 hrs IST: WICKET! Short delivery from Mohit, Shankar went for the pull but didn’t get the timing and the long on fielder Axar Patel takes a neat catch. Rishabh Pant comes to the crease.

16:48 hrs IST: Vijay Shankar has moved into double figures. Delhi Daredevils are 77/2 after 10 overs. They need a couple of big overs here. Mohit Sharma comes back into the attack.

16:43 hrs IST: So far so good for both teams. Gambhir is the man for DD. For KXIP, two-three quick wickets would do it for them. Marcus Stoinis comes into the attack.

16:41 hrs IST: Another costly over from Axar, nine runs off it. Delhi Daredevils are 70/2 after 9 overs. Time for the first of the four time-outs.

16:38 hrs IST: Seven runs off Ashwin’s second. Delhi Daredevils are 61/2 after 8 overs. Axar Patel again.

16:37 hrs IST: And Ashwin brings on his leggies. Shankar finding it difficult to pick them. Would be interesting to see how much success does the KXIP skipper get as the tournament progresses.

16:34 hrs IST: R Ashwin comes back into the attack. Can he strike?

16:33 hrs IST: OUT! Slower delivery from Axar, Iyer is drawn forward and he nicks it straight to the keeper (KL Rahul). Delhi Daredevils are 54/2 after 7 overs. Vijay Shankar comes in at No. 4.

16:30 hrs IST: SIX! Tossed up from Axar, Iyer dances down the tracks and creams it straight over the bowler’s head for a maximum.

16:28 hrs IST: Good over from Tye despite the boundary. Delhi Daredevils are 45/1 at the end of powerplay. Axar Patel comes back into the attack.

16:26 hrs IST: FOUR! Short delivery from Tye, Gambhir gets into position early and pulls it to the right of the fielder at deep square leg. Moves into 30s.

16:23 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Mujeeb. Delhi Daredevils are 39/1 after 5 overs. Andrew Tye comes into the attack.

16:20 hrs IST: FOUR! Flighted delivery from Mujeeb, Gambhir steps out and hits it over cover for his third boundary. As good as it gets!

16:18 hrs IST: Expensive over from Axar, 17 runs off it. Delhi Daredevils are 30/1 after 4 overs. Gambhir 22*, Iyer 3*

16:17 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries and a maximum for Gambhir. Looks in top form. The visitors would hope for a big knock from their skipper. He needs to stay till the end.

16:14 hrs IST: Mujeeb takes just three balls for his first IPL scalp. Delhi Daredevils are 13/1 after 3 overs. Axar Patel comes into the attack.

16:12 hrs IST: OUT! Dream start for Mujeeb. Munro looks to play the reverse-sweep but loses his balance and is caught in front. Shreyas Iyer comes to the crease.

16:09 hrs IST: Four singles and a bye. So far so good from Kings XI Punjab. They should look for a couple of wickets here. Delhi Daredevils are 11/0 after 2 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman comes into the attack.

16:06 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Gambhir. Excellent start from Ashwin. Delhi Daredevils are 6/0 after the first over. Mohit Sharma comes into the attack.

16:03 hrs IST: Ashwin gets this to drift back, Gambhir hits it towards mid-wicket for a double.

16:01 hrs IST: Quicker delivery from Ashwin and Munro works it to mid-wicket for a single.

16:00 hrs IST: Time for live action. Gambhir and Munro make their way out in the middle and so do the KXIP players. R Ashwin to start the proceedings.

15:45 hrs IST: Meanwhile, India have already won five medals on the fourth day of the 2018 Commonwealth Games and there’s more to come. Follow live updates here

15:37 hrs IST: Playing XIs -

Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, R Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Delhi Daredevils: Gautam Gambhir (c), Colin Munro, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Chris Morris, Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian, Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Trent Boult, Mohammed Shami

15:32 hrs IST: Kings XI Punjab have won the toss and have opted to field.

15:24 hrs IST: “I had a year in between to refresh, really enjoying myself here at Delhi and we had a good auction as well. It’s a really good bunch that we have. The challenge is to bring the Indian players and overseas players together. Many of the overseas players have joined us late. I am just trying to balance the different cultures as much as I can.” - Ricky Ponting (Daredevils coach)

15:21 hrs IST: For DD, there can be a little selection headache as Finch’s best man, Glenn Maxwell, will also miss the match and, after Gautam Gambhir, the onus will be on Chris Morris, Colin Munro and Jason Roy to shoulder more responsibility.

15:17 hrs IST: On paper, KXIP look batting-heavy with the likes of Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul and Karun Nair proven campaigners, so it’s unlikely the team will miss Aaron Finch, who is unavailable for the match because of his marriage.

15:12 hrs IST: Both Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils carry a decade-long unwanted baggage of being the underachievers. Though KXIP still have a have a couple of bright spots — they were runners-up in 2014 and losing semi-finalists in the inaugural edition —, DD are yet to progress beyond the semi-finals.

15:08 hrs IST: Meanwhile, England fast bowler Liam Plunkett has been roped in by DD as a replacement for the injured South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. Plunkett is yet to make his IPL debut.

15:02 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - Delhi Daredevils’ Amit Mishra is the only bowler to take three hat-tricks in IPL.

14:58 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to HT’s live coverage of the second game of IPL 2018 between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. Both sides come into clash with two new captains - Ashwin will lead KXIP while Gambhir will lead DD.

It has players of the calibre of Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, David Miller, K L Rahul and Aaron Finch not to speak of the likes of Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Axar Patel and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.

Barring a few who have been retained, most of the domestic and some foreign players have joined the team this season.

Punjab’s captain in the previous season, Glenn Maxwell will now turn up for the opposition side and so will Rahul Tewatia and Gurkeerat Mann.

Both Sehwag and head coach Brad Hodge heaped praise on Ashwin, even though captaining an IPL side may be the off-spinner’s maiden role, and feel that a “smart cricketer” like him will inspire the team.

KL Rahul, who was bought for ₹11 crore by KXIP, is focused to help the team lift its maiden title. KXIP’s best finish in the decade-old tournament has been to reach the finals in 2014.

Inconsistency in their performance has been a cause of concern for the Punjab outfit and the team will have to overcome this aspect if they want to finish on top this time.