The nervy double Super Over win against defending champions Mumbai Indians sky-rocketed Kings XI Punjab's belief and played a role in effecting a turnaround in their fortunes in the IPL, according to the team's left-arm fast-medium bowler Arshdeep Singh.
With a debate raging over the run out, it remains to be seen how Ashwin and Co. start afresh in what will be their first away match of the season.
Sanjay Bangar says Punjab Kings must play spinner Harpreet Brar in every IPL 2026 match and highlights the importance of the team's young opening pair.
Ravi Bishnoi said that he had learned a lot from Kumble, the former India captain and leg-spinner who sits third on the list of most successful bowlers with 619 wickets.
Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin said his side has a lot of scope for improvement after they encountered yet another close game, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in the Indian Premier League.
Kings XI Punjab pacer Sheldon Cottrell is unfazed by the mounting losses of his team in the IPL and asserts that the side will bounce back just as he did after being pummelled by Rahul Tewatia not so long ago.
It was an exhibition of brutal strokeplay as the Mumbai Indians's dangerous duo of Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya tore the Kings XI Punjab bowling apart at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul blamed his side's inability to defend a decent total against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match to the dew factor
Kings XI Punjab captain Glenn Maxwell lavished praise on his bowlers and fielders for his side's 14-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match in Mohali.
Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a solid batting performance to beat Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets and virtually secure their place in the play-offs of the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, in Dubai.
They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on his early IPL journey, highlighting the pivotal role of VB Chandrasekhar in securing his place at Chennai Super Kings.
Mumbai Indians seek to maintain momentum against Kings XI Punjab.
Kings XI Punjab registered a comfortable six wicket win over laggards Rajasthan Royals
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
Kings XI Punjab may have shown their mettle, winning two games so far in the Oppo Champions League T20, but the team coach Sanjay Bangar said that there is still a scope for improvement.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin spoke on running out Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Jos Buttler from the non-strikers' end, saying that amid all the talks about it, questioning his character, he felt like "doing it even more" and added that other bowlers should also do it.
Chennai Super Kings produced a clinical performance as they demolished bottom placed Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets to finish on top of the league table and qualify for the play-offs in the Indian Premier League in Mohali.
'RCB have a limited bowling attack but it can come good in the UAE as there are big grounds. So, I really think RCB can be one of the big beneficiaries with the IPL taking place abroad.'
After a below-par effort against Pune Supergiants, the Delhi Darevils will be looking to hit the straps rightaway with their prime players set to comeback in the playing XI as they take on bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab in an IPL encounter at Mohali on Saturday. Following three horrendous seasons, the Daredevils have had a decent outing so far under Rahul Dravid's mentorship and Zaheer Khan's captaincy, having won five of their eight games and are placed third in the eight-team table. There has been no standout performer as such but contributions from most of the players in their five victories has made it clear that Dravid's men are certainly not dependant on any one individual to carry the team forward.
Ambati Rayudu (34) and Robin Peterson (16) creamed leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for 27 runs in the penultimate over to enable Mumbai Indians snatch a stunning four-wicket over Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match, in Mohali, on Wednesday.
Kings XI Punjab will once again be facing a 'do-or-die' situation during their penultimate round encounter against table toppers Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Punjab Kings set a new IPL record for the lowest total ever successfully defended -- 111.
Shami will be given adequate rest in between matches, said Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson
Anil Kumble was also keen to retain Ashwin, who captained the side in the previous two editions.
Kings XI Punjab released explosive South Africa batsman David Miller after eight IPL seasons along with Englishman Sam Curran and Australian pacer Andrew Tye.
Sixteen-year old Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Zadran has some 'mystery element' about him which prompted the King XI Punjab to bid a whopping Rs 4 crore for him, said co-owner Preity Zinta.
Yuzvendra Chahal acknowledges the Impact Player rule's challenges for bowlers in the IPL but praises Punjab Kings' batsmen for consistently chasing down high scores.
This is only the second time that Punjab Kings reached the IPL final, while it is the fourth time that RCB have made it to the title clash.
Faf du Plessis's half-century and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's late assault helped Chennai Super Kings register a comfortable 22-run victory against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match, in Chennai, on Saturday.
Lucknow Super Giants are set to receive a significant mid-season boost with Australia batter Josh Inglis likely to join the squad ahead of their IPL clash against Mumbai Indians on May 4.
KL Rahul and Co would like forget the unsavoury incident and focus on the task ahead.
Kings XI Punjab will look to go all guns blazing against down and out Gujarat Lions in Mohali.
Their confidence restored after a bumpy start, a transformed Delhi Daredevils will look to stretch Kings XI Punjab to the limit when they face off in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Courtesy of AB de Villiers's late blitz, RCB smashed as many as 64 runs from the last three overs to finish on a huge 202 for three in their 20 overs.
Mumbai Indians will start as favourites when they take on laggards Kings XI Punjab.
Mumbai Indians spinner Raghu Sharma's 15-year journey of struggle, faith and persistence culminates in a memorable IPL breakthrough at age 33.
Opener Mayank Agarwal said Kings XI Punjab's dressing room remains a positive space despite two narrow defeats in their first three IPL games and it won't be long before things fall in place for his team.
KXIP have struggled so far, losing four of their five games, with death bowling proving to be their biggest concern.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances