A 29-run victory over Delhi Daredevils kept Kings XI Punjab afloat in the Indian Premier League and skipper Adam Gilchrist attributed the win to their all-round clinical display.
"It was a great win, it gives us two points and will keep us alive and a 30-run win in T20 cricket helps net run rate. We will enjoy tonight and think about Bangalore tomorrow, who are the form team of the tournament," said Gilchrist after Punjab restricted Delhi to 141-8 after posting 170-6.
"It was hard to tell [whats a good score]. 140 was our initial thought but Shaun and Valthathy played well. Shaun wrest the initiative and changed the momentum. We knew getting 170 would be a tough challenge, even though the boundaries are small here," he added.
The Australian also heaped special praise on leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
"Our seamers bowled well and Piyush was outstanding. He has come back and shown that he is a world-class bowler. He had good control and great variation, his wrong one was lethal," he said.
Gilchrist also praised his fielders for their outstanding performance on the field.
"There were some great catches. It is always difficult to take a catch at the boundary line, I mean to decide if to go for a jump or not, so Ryan doing a great job there. Beside, one or two blemishes, in general the enthusiasm was terrific," he said.
Delhi Daredevils captain James Hopes said fielding cost them the match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here.
"I am not sure luck had to do much with it tonight. Our fielding lost us this game. It is all about taking these half chances. Tonight, it summed up our entire season very much," he said.
Man of the match Chawla was happy to make a resounding comeback after missing out of two previous matches and said it was the extra bounce which helped him in his three-wicket haul for 16 runs.
"I am really happy to come back strong after missing out on Pune and Mumbai matches. There was a little extra bounce and it helped me. I was not nervous coming into the match because I have played here before. Mandeep and Ryan also picked up some wonderful catches and it helps," he said.
Currently at fifth spot, Punjab will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers in their last two matches while Delhi, languishing at the bottom, will clash with Pune Warriors in their final outing of IPL 4.
