Maxwell inspires shock IPL win

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Glenn Maxwell has carried on from his explosive form in the ICC World Twenty20, blasting 95 from just 43 deliveries to help his Kings XI Punjab side chase down the Chennai Super King’s formidable 205-run target with seven balls to spare.

The WT20 team of the tournament member combined with South African David Miller (54* off 37 balls) to put on 115 for the fourth wicket and all but ensure the decisive victory.

Maxwell’s impressive knock featured 15 fours and two sixes, including an incredible reverse-sweep boundary off his first ball to a Ravi Ashwin delivery pitching well outside leg stump.

That unpredictability is all part of his game plan Maxwell said after the game.

“I play with the bowler to try and upset them and find the gaps,” Maxwell said.

“It feels pretty good to chase down 200-plus against Chennai; they’re a pretty good team.

“Hopefully the batsmen can keep it up and the bowlers can chip in as well.”

Maxwell’s innings wasn’t without its nervous moments however, the Victorian dropped twice on, 37 and 77, to leave Chennai captain MS Dhoni shaking his head in frustration.

Earlier, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum made 300 look like a possibility, smashing 66 off 43 and 67 off 45 respectively to lift the Super Kings to 123 before the loss of the first wicket.

Mitchell Johnson felt the full brunt of the assault, going for 47 runs off his four overs, including a monstrous cut shot from McCullum that sailed over the point boundary rope.

Kings XI skipper George Bailey, who also finished unbeaten with the bat, lauded the ability of his bowlers to recover from a shaky start and restrict Chennai to just 205.

“It was a pretty good wicket,” he said.

“We pulled it back in the middle overs considering they were heading for 230.

“Maxi has been in great touch and we hope he carries on for Punjab.”

Chennai Super Kings 

Squad: MS Dhoni (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Francois du Plessis, Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Ben Hilfenhaus, John Hastings, Samuel Badree, Matt Henry, Mithun Manhas, Vijay Shankar, Ronit More, Baba, Aparajith, Pawan Negi.

Last year – Runners-up

Two-time IPL champions Chennai gave themselves every chance to make it three last season, topping the points table after the regular season and thumping eventual winners Mumbai in the first qualifying final. Mike Hussey led the Super Kings and the league with the most runs, but not even Mr Cricket could stop Sachin Tendulkar bowing out on a high.

One to watch

In a squad that boasts no less than four international captains, finding a standout player isn’t difficult. But in a game dominated by batsmen, Ravi Ashwin has the skill set to restrict runs and take crucial wickets. The right-arm off-spinner had a terrific World T20 tournament in Bangladesh, capturing 11 wickets at 11.57, including that ball…

Kings XI Punjab

Squad: George Bailey (c), David Miller, Manan Vohra, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Virender Sehwag, Rishi Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Shaun Marsh, Cheteshwar Pujara, Beuran Hendricks, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Thisara Perera, Gurkeet Mann Singh, Murali Kartik, Sandeep Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Akshar Patel, Parvinder Awana, Shardul Thakur, Anureet Singh, Shivam Sharma, Karanveer Singh.

Last year – 6th place

In major league terms, Kings XI went .500 last year. Eight wins and as many losses kept them two points adrift the top four, despite winning their final three matches. Rarer than the ‘blood moon’, Adam Gilchrist signed off his IPL career with his first and only wicket, that of Harbhajan Singh, prompting the worst version of Gangnum Style captured on film.

One to watch

Welllll, it’s the Big Show! Glenn Maxwell led the way for Australia in the recent World T20 in Bangladesh with the bat and in the field. He played every shot in the textbook, often both ways, and enters this tournament in a purple patch of form. Punjab will hope Maxwell can keep it up throughout the tournament to justify spending a million bucks on him. And even though he says he hates his nickname, there is no better show to watch when Maxwell is in a mood.