Gayle, Rahul ‘powerplay’ gives KXIP edge over Daredevils

NEWDELHI : At this year’s IPL auction, KL Rahul and Chris Gayle provided contrasting stories. The young Indian batsman went for ~11.5 crore to Kings XI Punjab while the Jamaican veteran had to wait for three rounds of bidding before being bought for his base price of ~2 crore.

That has meant little as the opening duo has complemented each other brilliantly. With three 50-plus stands, they are the hottest act in the tournament.

Gayle and Rahul exploding off the blocks has been powering KXIP. Opponents failed to dismiss them in the first six powerplay overs in the last three matches. As a result, KXIP have scored at a run rate of 10.67 in the powerplays.

Numbers are also impressive at an individual level. Rahul has scored 156 runs off 76 balls in powerplays with a 14-ball half century against Delhi Daredevils. Gayle didn’t play the first two games, but is not far behind, having scored 110 off 62 balls.

Rahul and Mayank Agarwal opened at the start of the IPL and their impact was instant. The pair’s 51-run stand versus Delhi Daredevils was capped by Rahul smashing the fastest fifty in IPL history.

Since Gayle joined forces with Rahul, KXIP have been unstoppable. The duo was merciless against Chennai Super Kings’ Harbhajan Singh and Rahul Chahar as 75 runs came in the first six overs. In the next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were 49/0 after six overs, but Gayle’s century led them to a big score and victory.

Their best show came against Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday. Chasing a steep target of 192 in a rain-hit game, Rahul and Gayle didn’t spare the bowling, but didn’t get out either. Thanks to their dominance, KXIP scored 73 runs in six overs - third highest powerplay score at the Eden.