Unheralded Paul Valthaty smashed an unbeaten 120 off 63 balls as Kings XI Punjab shocked defending champions Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old clobbered 19 fours and two sixes in a stunning counter-attack to help Punjab overhaul an imposing 189-run target with five balls to spare for their first win in two matches.
In the other match of the day between two new IPL teams, Yuvraj Singh-led Pune Warriors defeated Kochi Tuskers Kerala by four wickets at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
Valthaty, a surprise promotion to the opening slot, single-handedly fashioned the highest successful run-chase in the ongoing Twenty20 tournament.
Dinesh Karthik hit the winning runs with a six, much to the delight of Adam Gilchrist’s team, reeling under a heavy defeat to Pune in their opening match.
Opener Murali Vijay earlier struck a fine 74 off 43 balls to help Chennai overcome the loss of two wickets off the first two balls of the innings.
Vijay also shared a 122-run partnership for the third wicket with Subramaniam Badrinath who remained not out on 66 with eight fours, after Punjab won the toss and elected to field.
Fast bowler Praveen Kumar gave Punjab the perfect start when he had in-form opening batsman Anirudha Srikkanth trapped leg before and Suresh Raina caught at midwicket the next ball.
But Vijay and Badrinath brought the innings back on the track with a mix of aggression and caution and set the stage for a late assualt by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni smashed four fours and two sixes to score 43 runs off 20 balls.
Pune achieved a 149-run target with seven balls to spare after Mohnish Mishra hit two fours and two sixes in an 21-ball 37 not out and Robin Uthappa made a useful 31.
Kochi were tottering at 24-4 after Alfonso Thomas grabbed a wicket off the first ball and South Africa’s Wayne Parnell sent back Venkatsai Laxman, Parthiv Patel and skipper Mahela Jayawardene in the space of 13 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja (47) and Brad Hodge (39) then put together a useful stand of 88 runs for the fifth wicket to boost Kochi’s total.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 188-4 in 20 overs (M. Vijay 74, S. Badrinath 66, M.S. Dhoni 43; P. Kumar 2-37) lost to Kings XI Punjab 193-4 in 19.1 overs (P. Valthaty 120 not out) by six wickets.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala 148-8 in 20 overs (R. Jadeja 47, B. Hodge 39; W. Parnell 3-35) lost to Pune Warriors 151-6 in 18.5 overs (M. Mishra 37 not out, R. Uthappa 31; B. Hodge 2-14) by four wickets.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
