Kings XI end Royals’ run in Super Over

(Cricinfo) The man with the most runs for Kings XI Punjab had been on the bench for their first four games of the season. Brought in because regular captain George Bailey had a shoulder injury, Shaun Marsh played two crucial innings to give Kings XI their second win yesterday.

Shaun Marsh
Shaun Marsh

He first made 64 off 40, the highest score in a chase of 192, as Kings XI leveled the scores with Axar Patel’s last-ball four. Marsh then watched David Miller depart off the first ball of the Super Over and went on to hit Chris Morris for three successive fours. Rajasthan Royals lost both their wickets halfway into Mitchell Johnson’s over, which ended their five-match winning streak. Shane Watson was bowled first ball by a yorker, and James Faulkner, pondering a bye, was run out by Wriddhiman Saha.

The chase had been slipping away from Kings XI. They were reduced to 59 for 3 in the ninth over when Glenn Maxwell top-edged a slog off legspinner Rahul Tewatia. But Marsh and Miller kept their side alive as they put on 58 off 35. While Miller took his time to get going, Marsh kept the runs coming in his usual flowing manner, timing boundaries both sides of the wicket and straight down the ground.

Still, the asking-rate continued to climb steadily, and after Marsh top-edged a slog off Pravin Tambe, Kings XI needed 72 off the last five overs. Saha arrived and played a vital hand, swinging and pulling four fours in the eight balls he lasted.

Miller had found his range just before Marsh departed, and was now effortlessly launching sixes over deep midwicket. When he eventually failed to clear the off side boundary and fell for 54 off 30, 25 were required off 12.

Johnson and Axar brought it down to 14 from the final over, and ran four twos and a single off the first five balls from James Faulkner. Axar sliced the last one to the deep point rope to take it to the Super Over.