We have often stated that we have the best fans at Kings XI Punjab and here we present to you some proof of the fact. Our sher Dalip Grewal couldn’t contain his joy after the Kings’ first victory and wrote to us with a report of the first match. We loved it and wanted to share our sher’s work with you. Enjoy!

The King’s Jester - Post-Match Banter – When The Double Dees ‘Spun’ Out of Control

Apart from all the decisions a captain makes, he quietly does something else too to his team. He starts making them play the kind of cricket HE thinks is cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin did just that on Sunday. Spinners bowled as the offence and pacers were bowling one-over spells around them. A big change from the pace-heavy side that Kings XI Punjab have been in all these years of the Indian Premier League.

Let’s start with the team selection
The only change I would do is pick Chris Gayle instead of Marcus Stoinis. Some would even replace Andrew Tye but he is probably one of the world’s best T20 bowlers. Apart from that, a perfect team for match number one. Mujeeb Ur Rehman’s debut makes him the youngest to play the IPL at 17 years 11 days. Mujeeb was chosen ahead of Gayle, quite funny to note that Mujeeb wasn’t even born (nor his Afghanistan Cricket Board) when Gayle started his international cricket.

Delhi’s Pragati at the Maidan

Well, the score doesn’t really show the desperation in double D’s innings. There were some Qutab Minars here and there but most of the innings was a mixture of a relief shot that worked, encroached extras and Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir got out the ONLY way that could’ve taken him down on the day: A Run Out.

Gambhir tackled Axar Patel quite well. In IPL, Axar vs Gambhir has been 7.4 overs 46 runs but on Sunday it was 22 runs in 8 deliveries! Axar ended up with figures of 1/35 in 3 overs, something to think about for him.

Anything below 8 an over and more than one wicket lost in the Powerplay is below par and Delhi got 45/1 (7.5). Things looked bleak for them after that. They did quite well to get 166.

Talking about spin heavy, here is a comparison of spin vs pace in the Delhi Daredevils innings, showing Ashwin did nothing wrong:

166 was just something Delhi bowlers could bowl at but never a par score.

Udta Punjab

If you look at the first three names on the Kings’ scorecard you can very well call this Royal Challengers Bangalore! Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair are ALL originally from Bangalore and play for Karnataka! Anyway, this is why this is the INDIAN Premier League.

The first three overs sealed the deal. IPL’s fastest 50 without breaking a sweat. Salute to KL Rahul; 14 balls. Bettering Yusuf Pathan’s 15 ball 50. If Rahul was the adrenaline for Punjab then Karun Nair was the anaesthetic for Delhi. Karun cannot forget Mohali because his Test debut was right here against England where he scored just 4 runs; though in this game he did exactly the opposite! 50 off 31, at a time when Yuvi (why is he choking?) found himself gone only after 12 off 22, was remarkably mature of the 26-year-old.

A comparison of how superior the Kings’ spin bowling was compared to DD:

So CLEARLY, Captain Ashwin did amazingly well in handling his spin on a sluggish pitch. All points to Ashwin for making the right changes in the bowling and keeping the absolute right batting order. Just that it ALL got overshadowed by KL Rahul’s blitzkrieg; well, I am sure Ashwin wouldn’t be complaining.

With a healthy net run rate of 0.567 with this juggernaut victory that totally bullied the opposition, the Kings have announced their arrival. An amazing start to IPL 2018! Cheers!

*Hail O King (Player of the Match): KL Rahul 51 (16) The only difference between Kings XI and DD if you compare the scorecards.

The Jester’s Joke (Trump card): Yuvraj Singh 12 (22). Yuvi is a personal favourite but on Sunday looked like a real bad day at office. He needs to clear his head and break the shackles. He definitely still has it in him.