Cape Cobras vs. Kings XI Punjab, CLT20: Highlights, Scorecard and Report
Kings XI Punjab (139/3) defeated Cape Cobras (135) by seven wickets in Sunday's Champions League Twenty20 evening fixture, ensuring the IPL side will enter the semi-finals as the top seed from Group B.
As shared by Bleacher Report's Freddie Wilde, the result of this match would have a minimal impact. Cape Cobras were already eliminated from play-off contention, and barring a big loss, Kings XI Punjab would qualify from Group B as the top seed:
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Cobras started their innings on fire, as the pair of Richard Levi and Hashim Amla found immediate success against Kings XI's bowling. The duo combined for 82 runs from 59 deliveries, setting the pace for some high-scoring early overs.
| Richard Levi | c & b Glenn Maxwell | 42 | 37 | 113.51 | 2 | 3 |
| Hashim Amla | c David Miller b Karanveer Singh | 40 | 22 | 181.81 | 7 | 1 |
| Omphile Ramela | c David Miller b Thisara Perera | 12 | 9 | 133.33 | 2 | 0 |
| Stiaan van Zyl | b Anureet Singh | 13 | 17 | 76.47 | 1 | 0 |
| Dane Vilas | c Thisara Perera b Parvinder Awana | 10 | 6 | 166.66 | 2 | 0 |
| Sybrand Engelbrecht | b Akshar Patel | 5 | 5 | 100.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Justin Kemp | st Wriddhiman Saha b Akshar Patel | 2 | 4 | 50.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Vernon Philander | st Wriddhiman Saha b Akshar Patel | 5 | 3 | 166.66 | 1 | 0 |
| Robin Peterson | c Wriddhiman Saha b Anureet Singh | 2 | 4 | 50.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Rory Kleinveldt | c Manan Vohra b Anureet Singh | 0 | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Aviwe Mgijima | NOT OUT | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTRAS | (w 2, lb 2) | 4 | ||||
| TOTAL | (All out; 18.3 overs) | 135 | ||||
| Anureet Singh | 2.3 | 12 | 3 | 4.80 | 8 | |
| Parvinder Awana | 4 | 36 | 1 | 9.00 | 9 | |
| Akshar Patel | 4 | 15 | 3 | 3.75 | 15 | |
| Thisara Perera | 2 | 30 | 1 | 15.00 | 3 | |
| Karanveer Singh | 4 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 | 11 | |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2 | 17 | 1 | 8.50 | 4 |
Punjab had no answers, and by the time the 13th over arrived, Cobras were an impressive 105 for 2. The South Africans appeared to be on pace for close to 200 runs, but Kings' bowling straightened itself out just in time.
The final overs were a massacre, as Kings XI's spinners suddenly started to find success on Mohali's rough pitch. Via Wilde, it truly was incredible:
Akshar Patel unsurprisingly set the tone, conceding just 15 runs and taking three wickets in four overs. Anureet Singh also added three wickets in 2.3 overs.
The target of 136 looked manageable, even on Mohali's bowling-friendly pitch, but the real target for Punjab was 85, in order to stay ahead of Hobart Hurricanes' net run rate in the standings.
| Virender Sehwag | c Rory Kleinveldt b Robin Peterson | 23 | 26 | 88.46 | 3 | 0 |
| Manan Vohra | c Sybrand Engelbrecht b Robin Peterson | 23 | 15 | 153.33 | 4 | 0 |
| Wriddhiman Saha | NOT OUT | 42 | 35 | 120.00 | 3 | 1 |
| Glenn Maxwell | b Sybrand Engelbrecht | 23 | 19 | 121.05 | 0 | 2 |
| David Miller | NOT OUT | 16 | 14 | 114.28 | 2 | 0 |
| EXTRAS | (w 7, lb 5) | 12 | ||||
| TOTAL | (3 wickets; 18.1 overs) | 139 | TOTAL | (3 wickets; 18.1 overs) | 139 | TOTAL |
| Rory Kleinveldt | 4 | 24 | 0 | 6.00 | 13 | |
| Vernon Philander | 4 | 27 | 0 | 6.75 | 12 | |
| Robin Peterson | 4 | 19 | 2 | 4.75 | 12 | |
| Sybrand Engelbrecht | 4 | 42 | 1 | 10.50 | 7 | |
| Aviwe Mgijima | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 | 2 | |
| Omphile Ramela | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | 2 | |
| Hashim Amla | 0.1 | 4 | 0 | 24.00 | 0 |
Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra opened for Kings XI, scoring 23 from 26 and 15, respectively, and while Punjab didn't unleash the onslaught we saw from Cape Cobras early, the pace was well within the required run rate during the early overs.
Wriddhiman Saha and Glenn Maxwell continued Kings XI's push, taking their team past the required amount of runs to secure the top spot in Group B. A four from David Miller was enough to hit Cobras' target, as Punjab finished the group stage of the CLT20 undefeated.
Dane Vilas told ESPNCricinfo his team knew they'd have to set a significant target to have any chance of getting past Punjab's powerful group of batsmen:
"We knew we had to put a big score with such a strong batting line up. We tried out best out there but unfortunately not good enough. Came in rusty and started too slow and playing catch up is very tough. The spinners bowled beautifully. Robbie bowled beautifully and SR [Engelbrecht], with the other game as well, hes been great.
"
Punjab appeared to be in trouble early, but the way the bowlers came through when faced with adversity is a good sign heading into the semi-finals. The Indian pitches are starting to roughen up significantly, and with Kings XI's biggest strength being their explosive batsmen, knowing their bowling can make the difference in a tough match is huge.
The win means a potential date with Sunil Narine and Kolkata Knight Riders will be avoided until the final, and fans will be dying to see a rematch of the IPL final on the biggest stage.
For video highlights, visit the tournament's official video page by clicking here.
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