The Universe Boss Chris Gayle single handedly powered the Kings XI Punjab total above 180 to give his side a real chance of making 6 wins on the trot. The burly West Indian was helped by some sloppy fielding as Gayle was dropped early in his innings by Riyan Parag. KXIP could have got 200 had Pooran stayed longer but some tight bowling by Archer in the end ensured KL Rahul's men do not breach the 200 run mark. KL Rahul as usual laid a good platform after Mandeep got a nasty short ball first up from Archer.
RR tried but couldn't break the 120-run stand until Stokes provided the magic. Earlier, Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bowl first against Kings XI Punjab at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Royals brought in one change with Varun Aaron coming in for Ankit Rajpoot in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab have decided to go with the same XI that beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 97 runs. In the table, Steve Smith’s side is languishing at the bottom, placed 7th in the points-table and loss for the 2008 champions will knock them out of the tournament.
