Gayle shines but Kings XI again

INDORE, India, (CMC):

Chris Gayle notched yet another half-century to extend his purple patch of form, but Kings XI Punjab slipped to a six-wicket loss to the beleaguered Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here yesterday.

Sent in at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Kings XI gathered a decent 174 for six from their 20 overs, with the left-handed Gayle top-scoring with exactly 50 from 40 deliveries.

Australian Marcus Stoinis chipped in with an unbeaten 29, while opener Lokesh Rahul got 24 and Karun Nair, 23.

Good touch

Gayle, with a hundred and two half-centuries in four previous innings, was in again in good touch, lashing six fours and two sixes in a patient knock.

He put on 54 for the first wicket with Rahul and added a further 34 for the second wicket with Yuvraj Singh (14) before perishing in the 12th over, miscuing a heave at Aussie seamer Ben Cutting and holing out to deep mid-wicket.

The knock also took the 38-year-old West Indies star past 300 runs for the tournament with 302 at an average of 43.

Stoinis then provided the late impetus for Kings XI, smashing a pair of fours and sixes in a 15-ball innings. In reply, Mumbai were driven by a top score of 57 from Suryakumar Yadav as they reached their target with an over to spare.

Yadav struck half-dozen fours and three sixes and received support from Krunal Pandya, who hit a 12-ball unbeaten 31 and Ishan Kishan, who made 25.

Mumbai were without the out-of-form West Indies star Kieron Pollard, who was dropped for the second time in three matches.

He has scraped 76 runs at an average of 15 this season.

The victory was only Mumbai's third in nine outings, and they lie sixth on six points, while Kings XI's defeat was their third, leaving them fourth on 10 points.