(Image source from: Consolation win for Kings XI Punjab over Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL})

Kings XI Punjab secured a 22-run consolation victory, after their bowlers trussed up an explosive Royal Challengers Bangalore top order, in a rain-curtailed 10-overs-a-side contest in Mohali. Axar Patel played impactful hands with bat and ball, holding together the back end of the Kings XI innings, before claiming two wickets and conceding only 11 runs from his two overs. Seamers Beuran Hendricks and Anureet Singh also helped defend 106 for 6, which was kickstarted by Wriddhiman Saha's 31 from 12 balls.

Kings XI began their innings at full pelt, as Saha swiped Mitchell Starc to the legside boundary off successive balls in the first over, before carting three fours and a six over long-on to loot 20 from Sreenath Aravind in the second. His dismissal bought Royal Challengers some cheaper overs, followed by two more wickets. Manan Vohra holed out to long-off for 11 in the fifth over, before Glenn Maxwell picked out deep midwicket two balls later, off Harshal Patel.

David Miller would help the hosts briefly regain impetus, slamming two towering sixes off the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal, but got himself stumped off a wide soon after. Axar would see the innings to its conclusion, hitting a six and a four in his 15-ball 20, while George Bailey hit 13 from 9. Kings XI still had enough batsmen to finish more violently, but were curbed by Harshal and Starc, who conceded five and six runs from their final two overs respectively.

The fall of the first wicket dampened Royal Challengers' advance too; Kohli played Anureet onto his stumps after adding 33 off 17 balls with Chris Gayle. Sandeep Sharma had Gayle caught behind soon after, before AB de Villiers also failed to move the chase along falling for 10 from 9 balls.

Mandeep Singh gave the visitors some hope, cracking his first ball to the cover fence, then reverse-sweeping Axar for four two overs later. But wickets continued to fall at the other end, and boundary attempts were repeatedly thwarted. The required rate had leapt to 12.66 with three overs to play, but Hendricks delivered a five-run over that claimed a wicket, then Axar removed Mandeep. Royal Challengers had not found the boundary off the last 22 balls, when they ran out of overs, at 84 for 6.

- Manohar. M