David Miller smashed his way to a 29-ball-66 as Kings XI Punjab's batting clicked yet again posing a challenging score of 198 for eight against RCB in an IPL encounter here today.
Miller and Wriddhiman Saha (17) steadied the innings after KXIP slumped to 116 for four in 11.4 overs as Virender Sehwag and Mandeep Singh gave a rollicking start to the visitors adding 60 runs in 35 balls. Sehwag again scored 30 but more importantly provided the momentum.
Glenn Maxwell again blasted his way to 25 off 10 balls before being holed out at the deep mid-wicket fence off Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling trying to go for his third six. Maxwell also hit a couple of boundaries.
One of the finds of this IPL, Chahal was the pick of the bowlers with figures of two for 23 in four overs.
Once Miller got set, the South African left-hander scored runs at a brisk pace. He hit eight boundaries and three sixes off only 29 balls before departing in the 17th over of the KXIP innings.
Saha also contributed in Punjab's massive total by supporting Miller as they notched up 54 runs in only 4.5 overs.
The RCB wicketkeeper was scalped by Harshal Patel at long-off by AB de Villiers, trying to loft a slower delivery.
Thereafter Akshar Patel and Shivam Sharma, who played his first match of the season, went cheaply, scoring two and four respectively.
The swashbuckling Sehwag, whose 30 had five boundaries against his name gave a solid start to Punjab by putting on 60 with Mandeep (21) for the opening stand.
Maxwell smacked Yuvraj Singh out of the park for two sixes and a four, thus collecting 19 runs in eighth over of visitor's innings.
As he was looking to take the game away from Bangalore, Maxwell fell prey to Chahal after he was holed out at deep mid-wicket where Mitchell Starc took a well-judged catch just a few inches from the ropes.
It was left to Miller and Bailey, who had a decent unbeaten 40 in the previous match against Chennai, to repair the innings as Punjab slumped to 93 for three in the ninth over.
Bailey, who also did not get a long hit in the middle because of the inform top-order batsmen this season, was out poking at the away-going ball off Morkel for one after playing seven balls.
