The 2019 VIVO Indian Premier League has been a happy hunting ground for the Shers, having won three out of their first four games this season. Alongside starting the tournament well, the Kings XI Punjab team and its players have also managed to shatter a few records. Here’s a look at some of the major feats achieved by Sadda squad.
Hat-trick hero Curran
In the home game against Delhi Capitals on Monday, the visitors were looking destined to win needing just 34 off the last four overs with seven wickets in hand. However, Sam Curran had different plans as he managed to dismiss the well-set Colin Ingram, as well as picking up the wicket of Harshal Patel off the last ball in his second over. Following that up in the final over of the game, the 20-year-old dismissed Kagiso Rabada and Sandeep Lamichhane of the first two deliveries, claiming the first ever hat-trick of the 2019 VIVO Indian Premier League. Curran has now become the third KXIP player to take a hat-trick after Yuvraj Singh and Axar Patel; and is also the first Englishman ever to claim a hat-trick in the IPL.
Gayle galore
The Universe Boss has been in scintillating form this season, having amassed a couple of records to his name already despite only three appearances so far. In the very first game against the Rajasthan Royals, Gayle got to 4000 career runs in the IPL, becoming only the second overseas player to achieve that feat behind Australia’s David Warner.
Then in KXIP’s first home game of the season, the 39-year-old smashed a brilliant six off Mumbai Indians’ Mitchell McClenaghan to record 300 sixes in the tournament. The next best on the list for most sixes is AB de Villiers with 192. His six-hitting does not seem to diminish with his age, with the Universe Boss tied second on the list for most sixes for the 2019 season behind international teammate Andre Russell.
Mayank’s millennium
With a flick onto the leg side off Andre Russell’s bowling in the Shers’ second game of the season, Kings XI batsman Mayank Agarwal got to a 1000 runs in the IPL. He becomes the fifth player of this current KXIP squad to achieve that feat following on the footsteps of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Karun Nair and David Miller. The Karnataka batsman has had a brilliant start to this season’s IPL, already surpassing his runs tally for the entirety of the 2018 season after just four games.
Miller’s milestone
South African batsman David Miller made his 72nd appearance for KXIP when he took to the field against Delhi Capitals on Monday, surpassing Shaun Marsh as the most capped player for the franchise. And Miller marked the occasion with some style, top scoring for his team with 43. Since joining the squad in 2012, Miller has proved to be an astute signing, scoring a century that very next season against Royal Challengers Bangalore off just 38 deliveries. The 29-year-old has a healthy batting average of above 35 for KXIP alongside a lethal strike rate north of 140, making him one of the dangerous middle order players in the history of the Indian Premier League.
Breaching fortress Jaipur
Before this season, Kings XI had won on every IPL ground to host a minimum of five matches except Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium. They had played on that ground five times previously, ending up second best on all those occasions. However, the Shers managed to create history this season by pipping the Royals by 14 runs this season in their own backyard.
And a few more
Apart from these records, Kings XI batsman Sarfaraz Khan also managed to get his highest ever score in the IPL this season, when he scored that unbeaten 46 against Rajasthan Royals. Murugan Ashwin also managed to get his second-best bowling figures ever in the IPL this season, when he produced the figures of 2/25 in the game against Mumbai Indians. As a team, KXIP have also won six straight games now at Mohali’s IS Bindra stadium, equalling a long-standing record from 2008.
