Pune thrash Punjab to reach playoffs

The result: Kings XI Punjab 73 (Thakur 3-19, Christian 2-10) lost to Rising Pune Supergiant 1-78 (Rahane 34no, Tripathi 28no) by nine wickets.

The match in a tweet: Kings XI knocked out in knockout bout as Smith’s Supergiant storm through to IPL playoffs.

The final hurdle: The equation was simple for both sides, win and head through to the playoffs stage, lose and the tournament would be over. Sent in to bat, Kings XI simply needed to set a big total and defend, a task they achieved on a number of occasions, but fell at the final charge losing 5-32 in the powerplay and watching their chances slip away. Another swarm of wickets saw the final five dismissed for just 22 runs leaving the Kings XI to rue what would eventually be another tournament without post-season action.

The Dhoni factor: There is no denying MS Dhoni’s presence on field, and especially in Pune where the crowd are deafening any time the former Indian captain touches the ball. The gloveman saved his best for last though, claiming three catches and providing great advice to youngster Adam Zampa, vocal behind the stumps in the demolition of the Kings XI. Early signs weren’t great, with two balls edged through the slips, but Dhoni was quick-footed and nimble to remove Wriddiman Saha, and then sharp enough to catch the rebound from a Dan Christian drop at first slip, Dhoni becoming just the second man behind Dinesh Karthik to take 100 dismissals behind the stumps. RPS’ maiden journey will be Dhoni’s ninth appearance in the IPL playoffs, with the two-time champion looking to add a third piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet this week.

Duck hunting: Coming off three damaging performances for the Punjab side, captain Glenn Maxwell loomed large in helping his side to their first playoffs appearance since 2014 and just their third overall, but Shardul Thakur had other ideas. At a treacherous 4-32, the Kings XI needed a precautious head, but Thakur and Steve Smith employed a square-fine-leg and targeted Maxwell’s leg side, with the Aussie’s third ball ending up straight down the throat of the set fielder and falling into the trap perfectly without scoring. Maxwell’s third duck the most of any IPL captain this season, with the skipper unable to register a half-century from 14 attempts.

The Aussie Pack: Five Aussies were fielded in the knockout clash, with Dan Christian and Adam Zampa (2-22) both picking up multiple scalps. Steve Smith was superb with his captaincy, his fielding and bowling changes lauded before he added an unbeaten-15 to ice the match. On the losing side, Maxwell’s zero came before two overs that leaked 15 runs as Shaun Marsh looked ominous early with two superb boundaries before a simple chip to Smith at mid-off spelled the end of the Punjab season.

The Wash-Up: It’s lights out for the Kings XI Punjab as they are resigned to a fifth-place finish in 2017 as Steve Smith’s Supergiant head to Mumbai for a chance to advance straight through to the IPL final, with victory on Wednesday morning giving them a free ride to the decider. A loss means they play the winner of Sunrisers and Knight Riders in the second qualifier on Friday morning.