Friday 12 April 2013

Reinforced Super Kings seek first win

 Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings had contrasting starts to IPL 2013. While Kings XI thrashed Pune Warriors in an away game, Super Kings slipped up after a dominant beginning in Chennai, handing Mumbai Indians a victory. Going into their second matches, both teams are at opposite ends of the points table, ends neither is too familiar with.For Kings XI, it was a near-perfect display. They were disciplined with the ball, energetic with the bat and electric in the field. Parvinder Awana bowled possibly the delivery of the IPL so far, angling in and moving across Angelo Mathews to have him caught behind. Mandeep Singh, with a little help from Adam Gilchrist, accounted for Marlon Samuels with an inch-perfect throw from deep midwicket. Then there was Gurkeerat Singh's spectacular, flying take in the long leg region, to get rid of Ross Taylor. Three special moments, which ripped the heart out of Warriors' batting. Gilchrist and Manan Vohra then sealed things in style, knocking off the target of 100 with almost eight overs to spare.Super Kings, on the other hand, had Mumbai at 83 for 6 after 12 overs, before Kieron Pollard showed grit and gumption. Still, the target of 149 was hardly daunting for a line-up like Super Kings'. A series of poor shots though pushed them so far behind in the chase that even a MS Dhoni special could not rescue the team. But Super Kings have seen it all before, and one game is hardly a measure of how an IPL season could turn out. If the players' tweets ribbing Ravindra Jadeja on the eve of the Mohali match are any indication, team morale is high. Plus, they have reinforcements in the form of South African allrounders, Albie Morkel and Chris Morris, who arrived following the conclusion of their domestic commitments. Morkel was an injury worry, turning an ankle during South Africa's T20 final on Sunday, but he has since tweeted that his scans are clear.Kings XI are still without the services of injured Australian batsman Shaun Marsh - he tweeted on Saturday that he hoped to be with the team in a week's time.

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