Records tumble as Kings XI triumph

The result: Kings XI Punjab 4-167 (Rahul 51, Christian 1-12) defeated Delhi Daredevils 7-166 (Gambhir 55, Mujeeb 2-28) by six wickets.

The match in a tweet: Lokesh Rahul's record-breaking 50 and some middle-order smashing sees KXIP to a dominant victory over Ricky Ponting's Delhi #DDvKXIP

The record-breaker: After making the switch from the Royal Challengers Bangalore and carrying a heavy price tag of A$2.1m with him, much was expected of KL Rahul and he delivered in spades. Rahul took just 14 balls to reach a half-century, highlighted by a flurry of big shots that included six fours and four sixes, as Amit Mishra bore the brunt of the in-form opener. He top-edged Trent Boult for a lucky six, before getting his eye in and hammering Mishra to the fence five consecutive times. Rahul scored 51 of Kings XI's first 52 runs inside three overs, overtaking a four-year old record held by Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine.

The off-spinner turned leggie: After Glenn Maxwell was picked up by Delhi in the off-season, Ravichandran Ashwin took over the captaincy of Kings XI and elected to field in his first game at the helm. He bowled the first over – six regulation off-breaks that we've become accustomed to seeing from the off-spinner – but with the third ball of his second over, he bowled a leg-break akin to those of Anil Kumble. He followed it up with a stunning delivery that gripped and turned and nearly had Vijay Shankar stumped, switching between orthodox and leg-spin deliveries for the rest of his spell, predominantly saving his leggies for right-handed batsmen. He picked up one wicket, trapping Rahul Tewatia in front with a regulation delivery, but sent a message out that he had a bag full of tricks that we're likely to see in IPL 11.

The youngster: On a night where records were sent tumbling, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed his own slice of history by becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the IPL. At 17 years and 11 days, he overtook the previous youngest player Sarfaraz Khan, who debuted for Royal Challengers Bangalore at 17 years, 177 days. The Afghan tweaker was introduced in the third over by Ashwin and had to wait just three balls for a breakthrough, Colin Munro trying to switch-hit and misjudging the flight, trapped directly in front to hand the fledging spinner his first scalp of the tournament.

The Aussie Pack: Three out of a possible seven Australian players took part in the opening match for both franchises, with both Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch unable to feature due to the latter's wedding in Melbourne. Dan Christian played his first game under Ricky Ponting at Delhi after crossing over from the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, posting a run-a-ball 13 and claiming 1-12 from his two overs. On the victorious side, Marcus Stoinis was unbeaten on 22 and sent down one wicketless over, whilst AJ Tye went without a breakthrough, conceding 38 from his four overs. Kings XI Punjab opted for local quick Mohit Sharma over Aussie youngster Ben Dwarshuis.

The Next Stop: Delhi will have a chance to bounce back when they take on D'Arcy Short, Ben Laughlin and the returning Rajasthan Royals side on Wednesday whilst Kings XI play Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.