IPL Results 2016: Kings XI vs. Lions Score, Revised Table and Schedule

It was a debut to remember in the 2016 Indian Premier League for the Gujarat Lions on Monday, as virtuoso displays from Dwayne Bravo and Aaron Finch propelled them to a five-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab. 

The former excelled with the ball in hand, taking four wickets and helping limit the hosts to a score of 161 for six. Then, Finch took over with the bat, bludgeoning 74 to set up a victory, as the Lions knocked off the runs required with 14 balls to spare.

Here’s a look at the overall standings in the nascent stages of the tournament, with the matches to come and a more detailed overview of how this one panned out.

Pos	Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Net RR	Pts
1	Rising Pune Supergiants	1	1	0	0	0	+2.541	2
2	Kolkata Knight Riders	1	1	0	0	0	+2.088	2
3	Gujarat Lions	1	1	0	0	0	+1.120	2
4	Royal Challengers Bangalore	0	0	0	0	0	+0.000	0
4	Sunrisers Hyderabad	0	0	0	0	0	+0.000	0
6	Kings XI Punjab	1	0	1	0	0	-1.120	0
7	Delhi Daredevils	1	0	1	0	0	-2.088	0
8	Mumbai Indians	1	0	1	0	0	-2.541	0

Date	Time (BST/IST)	Fixture	Venue
April 12	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad	Bengaluru
April 13	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Mumbai Indians	Kolkata
April 14	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Gujarat Lions vs. Rising Pune Supergiants	Rajkot
April 15	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Delhi Daredevils vs. Kings XI Punjab	Delhi
April 16	11:30 a.m/4 p.m.	Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Kolkata Knight Riders	Hyderabad
April 16	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Mumbai Indians vs. Gujarat Lions	Mumbai
April 17	11:30 a.m./4 p.m.	Kings XI Punjab vs. Rising Pune Supergiants	Mohali
April 17	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Delhi Daredevils	Bengaluru

Kings XI Punjab vs. Gujarat Lions 

Lions, 162 for 5, (17.4 overs, Finch 74, Sharma one for 21) beat Kings XI, 161 for 6 (Vijay 42, Bravo four for 22) by five wickets

After deciding to put Kings XI in to bat after winning the toss, early wickets would have been the order of the day for the Lions. But a fine opening partnership put the home side in a strong position.

It was Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra who led the way for Punjab. The latter was the aggressor in the partnership, while the former, a more considerate player by nature, sought to spend a little more time at the crease.

Vohra hammered four fours and a pair of sixes in a fine innings of 38 from 23 balls. When he departed, Punjab were set on 78 for one, with Vijay quickly becoming the risk-taker. He eventually made a steady 42 from 34 balls, before being dismissed; both openers were victims to the spin of Ravindra Jadeja.

Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle was impressed with the efforts of Vijay, who was the top scorer for Kings XI:

From there, this one quickly became the Bravo show. After excelling in this tournament last year with the ball, finishing as the top wicket-taker, the West Indies all-rounder continued his imperious form.

His efforts allowed the Lions to sap any of their opponents’ momentum. First, the dangerous Glenn Maxwell was the bowler for just a couple, before captain David Miller fell to the same man via the same method for 15. Here’s the first of those dismissals, per the tournament’s Twitter feed:

Further wickets of Wriddhiman Saha (20) and Marcus Stoinis—who played smartly for 33 runs from 22 deliveries—left Bravo with impressive figures of four for 22 after his spell. It also meant Gujarat had restricted Kings XI to 161 for six, despite the home team being 91 for one before Vijay departed.

Former Australia player Jarrod Kimber had high praise for Bravo after his wonderful performance with the ball:

Gujarat’s first-ever IPL chase got off to a disappointing beginning after losing big-hitting Brendon McCullum in the first over for a duck. But in Finch, they have an outstanding opener in this format, as the Aussie flexed his muscles with a classy knock.

While skipper Suresh Raina came in and smashed 20 from nine balls, Finch was a model of composure at the crease. The opener played orthodox strokes, punished bad deliveries and kept the Lions well ahead of the rate required to take victory. His innings of 74 from 47 balls was enthralling and left the debutants in complete control.

Despite putting together such a high-calibre knock, the opener was far from pleased when he was outstumped, per HoldingWilleyCricket:

"

Shift in momentum! Aaron Finch loses his wicket and then loses his temper! #IPL #KXIPvGL

— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) April 11, 2016"

Still, it was enough for the Lions to secure victory, with Dinesh Karthik (41 not out), Jadeja (8), Ishan Kishan (11) and Bravo (2 not out) able to steer the team home with 2.2 overs remaining.

As far as debuts go, this was impressive from the Lions. While personnel often shifts regularly in the IPL, for new teams, it’s often difficult to immediately find a groove. But there were impressive linkups in both batting and bowling from Gujarat.

Finch and Bravo are two canny operators at this level, too, with each showcasing their match-winning potential with brilliant performances here. Miller will be a little frustrated with the display from Kings XI, but after last season’s disastrous campaign, they at least look a lot more competitive this time around.