IPL CRICKET 2010 - Kings XI Punjab Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL CRICKET 2010

KXIP Vs RCB

DROPPING GUARD, KINGSIZE

Kings XI Punjab Fielders Miss Easy Catches To Hand RCB 6-Wicket Win

Mohali:One thought Good Friday would bring happy tidings, but fortune refused to change for Preity Zinta and her team in the third season of the IPL. At the PCA stadium here, Kings XI Punjab fell to their seventh defeat in eight games to virtually end even the faint hopes of making the semifinals.Despite posting a challenging total of 181-5, after opting to bat first, they failed to defend it, thanks to some stingless bowling and pathetic fielding, with crucial catches being floored and misfields being the norm, thus affecting the chances of the team which has been struggling from the word "go." With largesses on the field, they handed Royal Challengers Bangalore their fifth win in eight matches, helping them to break a sequence of two successive losses.

          The much-needed triumph has put the RCB campaign back on the track, taking them to the second spot in the points table, and with the arrival of Ross Taylor. who was benched because of jetlag after reaching here from New Zealand just 24 hours ago, the Mallya Brigade can hope for some more good times ahead in the tournament.

            With Kevin Pietersen (66 not out) in full flow and the support cast of Virat Kohli, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey going  great guns the total which looked formidable at one stage, turned out to be insufficient in the end with RCB romping home in the fianl over, with six wickets to spare. A couple of wickets towards the end did provide some excitement, but there was no joy for the home team, who lost their fourth game at home this season.

            The KXIP batsmen had earlier done a good job by producing a healthy total with the skipper Kumar Sangakkara himself providing the early thrust and the much maligned Yuvraj Singh and Ravi Bopara carrying the good work with Irfan Pathan playing a lage cameo. Snagakkara, returning to the team after a one-match ban for consistent slow over-rate, was in sublime touch, starting with lovely drives off his namesake Kumars, Praveen and Vinay. He looked good as long as the lasted and deserved to get a half century, but the pulled a Steyn delivery straight to Kallis at mid-wicket. The beleaguered KXIP skipper had the satisfaction of playing his best knock of the season, though he would have liked to have batted a few more overs.