Lords XI Punjab broke their losing streak on Thursday as they got back to winning path with an eight-wicket triumph against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah. The match went down to the last ball, with Nicholas Pooran hitting a six to seal an exciting success for KXIP. The outcome had little impact of the focuses table however gave KXIP the certainty they'd missed the mark regarding.
Engineers of KXIP's success were KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle with the bat. Rahul and Agarwal by and by gave a solid beginning to KXIP's pursuit putting on 78 runs for the initial wicket with the KXIP captain scoring one more 50 years. Then, playing his first match since January, Gayle stripped off 50 years in his first match of the period. Gayle and Rahul brought the match into the last over before Pooran polished things off.
After the match, Pooran, addressing Mayank Agarwal, uncovered whom he believes is the best T20 player ever, giving his KXIP and West Indies partner Gayle the honor.
“For me, Gayle is the greatest T20 player who has played the game,” he said in a video upload by KXIP. “When Chris is batting, you always have a chance of winning the game. Once he is there, it is a different mood in the camp obviously. He started off slowly, but he had not played cricket for a long time...He has shown once more why he is the greatest T20 batsman. It is wonderful to see him get runs.”
With one required off the last ball, it was Pooran who hit the triumphant runs – a six off his first ball. He clarified how the whole situation felt like a sensation that this has happened before circumstance to him as in KXIP's first match of the period, against Delhi Capitals, they had neglected to get over the line.
“The last over started, it was like deja vu. Last three balls, one run. It was like the Delhi game all over again but the difference was that I was in the dugout. A million things were running in my mind. I was not clear, to be honest, what I was gonna do. I never wanted to be in that position. After sitting out for so long, I have to bat the last ball,” Pooran said.