Mitchell Johnson’s Kings XI Punjab side has qualified for the IPL final. Picture: Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia
MITCHELL Johnson is poised to close out a golden season with the Indian Premier League trophy after his Kings XI Punjab side qualified for the final overnight with victory over Chennai Super Kings.
AUSSIES IN ACTION
It was a relatively quiet night for the Australian contingent.
Tournament pacesetter Glenn Maxwell was limited to 13 from six deliveries for Punjab before his removal by Indian spinner Ravi Ashwin.
Kings XI captain George Bailey was bowled for one in the late overs.
Chennai’s lone Australian representative, David Hussey, was also dismissed for one.
Johnson claimed the prize scalp of Faf du Plessis from just the second ball of Chennai innings. He finished with 1-44.
MATCH SUMMARY
Virender Sehwag exploded out of the blocks, blasting 122 from 58 deliveries including 12 boundaries and eight sixes.
His efforts led Kings XI to an intimidating 6-226 from their 20 overs, arguably their best batting performance in a season that saw them win the minor premiership.
Suresh Raina provided Chennai with a modicum of hope when he pounded 87 from just 25 balls.
But a direct hit run out from Bailey at cover ended his innings and, eventually, the Super Kings’ resistance.
Kings XI’s victory has propelled them to their first IPL final in seven seasons.
WHAT THEY SAID
“What an innings from Viru. He set the platform, backed up by (David) Millar at the end. It was almost overshadowed by Suresh’s innings. We have seen two extraordinary innings tonight. Raina was unlucky wasn’t he? Our fielding has been pretty good right through the tournament.”
NEXT GAME
IPL final: Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Monday, 12.30am AEST
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1lZu8TV
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment