Kings XI Punjab restrict Pune Warriors to 99 for nine

Kings XI Punjab produced a clinical bowling performance to restrict Pune Warriors to a meagre 99 for nine in a Pepsi Indian Premier League match here today.
Angelo Mathews' decision to bat first backfired badly as the home team batsman produced another inept show failing to dominate the KXIP bowling even once.
The sheer dominance of the KXIP pacers was evident that the highest partnership for Pune was 25 and the top scorer was Abhishek Nayar with 25.
For KXIP, Azhar Mahmood and Praveen Kumar got two wickets apiece giving away 19 and 31 runs respectively.
The slide started in the very first over as Manish Pandey (0), who has done nothing in the past two seasons to merit a place in the starting XI, failed yet again as he was played on off the last delivery of Praveen Kumar's first over.

T20 specialist Thiru Suman (6) hit a boundary before being holed out at mid-off with veteran Azhar Mahmood being the bowler.

The Pune batsmen found it difficult to score on a wicket that had spongy bouncy but credit to KXIP bowlers as they were consistent in bowling to a particular channel.
Marlon Samuels (3) was run-out as Piyush Chawla's immaculate throw landed on top of the stumps and skipper Adam Gilchrist whipped off the bails as the diving Jamaican failed to make his ground.
If that wasn't enough, Chawla ended Pune's 'Million Dollar' recruit Robin Uthappa's misery as a faster one castled the Karnataka batsman, who scratched around for 23 balls to make only 19.

At 33 for four, a lot depended on skipper Mathews, who started well with a boundary but got the best delivery of the innings from Parvinder Awana. Mathews was forced to edge one that had a bit of extra bounce as the ball moved a shade after landing on the good length spot.
At the halfway stage, Warriors were 38 for five any hopes of posting a decent total vanished.
But there was more misery in store for Warriors as Ross Taylor found out to his amazement. He slog swept a delivery from Praveen and Gurkeerat Mann fielding in the deep fine leg range took a magnificent one handed catch diving to his right.