IPL 2020: KL Rahul's brilliance help KXIP defeat RCB by 97 runs

Kings XI Punjab on Thursday registered a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai as they won the match by 97 runs to clinch their first win of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. 

KL Rahul was the star for KXIP with the willow as he hammered an unbeaten 132 laced with 14 boundaries and seven sixes. Rahul’s 132 not-out became the highest-ever score by an Indian cricketer in IPL and also the highest-ever score by a captain in IPL as the KXIP skipper registered the first century of IPL 2020 in style. 

While Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran and Karun Nair played some handy knocks, it was Rahul who dominated the show as he smashed the RCB bowlers all over the park. RCB’s bowling has to be deemed as poor with the likes of Umesh Yadav and Dale Steyn spraying it all over the pitch. KXIP went on to post a mammoth target of 206/3 in 20 overs. 

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Chasing RCB, under pressure, lost opener Devdutt Padikkal for cheap before losing Joshua Philippe and Virat Kohli for duck and one respectively as Sheldon Cottrell and Mohammed Shami wreaked havoc with the new ball. 

While Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers tried to get on with the chase, it was the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin who stuck to dismiss the dangerous duo. After that it was all about saving the Net Run-Rate for RCB as Washington Sundar slammed a 27-ball 30 to take RCB over 100-run mark. 

Nonetheless, the defeat will hurt RCB, who came into the match by defeating CSK, as their net-run-rate took a heavy beating. Whereas KXIP, who lost their first match to DC in Super Over, will look to carry forward the momentum in their next encounters in IPL 2020.