KXIP snap 5-game losing run with emphatic win

Sharjah : Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) languishing at the bottom of the IPL Table ended their five-match losing streak with resounding eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.

KXIP began their run chase on a good note and kept the momentum even after losing the wicket of Mayank Agarwal. He scored a blitzkrieg 45 off 25 balls. Their after skipper KL Rahul unbeaten on 61 off 49 balls) and Chris Gayle 53 off 45 balls take the side close to victory only for Nicholas Pooran sealing the win with a six off the last ball of the match to take the total to 177/2.

Earlier, Isuru Udana (10) and Chris Morris (25) smashed 24 off the last over to take Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to 171/6.

RCB were struggling for much of the innings despite the quick start to the innings provided by openers Aaron Finch (20) and Devdutt Padikkal (18), as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals after the opening stand was broken.

AB de Villiers (2), who had smashed an unbeaten 73 off 33 balls in RCB's previous game, was demoted to No. 7 on Thursday with Washington Sundar (13) and Shivam Dube (23) being sent ahead of him. De Villiers came in during the 18th over and was dismissed by Mohammed Shami after scoring just two runs off five alls.

RCB captain Virat Kohli was the highest scorer for his team with 48 off 39 balls but it was Morris and Udana who took the team past the 150-run mark. Shami, who had given away just 21 runs in his first three overs and accounted for the wickets of Kohli and De Villiers, ended up being hit for a four and three sixes in the last over.