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New Delhi: Irfan Pathan returned with a three-wicket haul as Kings XI Punjab put up clinical all-round performance to register a seven-wicket comprehensive victory over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match on Sunday.
Pathan's three for 24 and Piyush Chawla (2/16) helped Punjab shot out Delhi Daredevils for a lowly 111 at the slow and turning track of Ferozshah Kotla after home team captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat.
The Kings XI then returned to overhaul the target with eight balls to spare, courtesy Mahela Jayawardene (38), Kumar Sangakkara (33) and Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 21 off 25 balls.
Earlier, Gambhir's decision to bat first backfired as Delhi's much-famed batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards and they lost half of the side in exactly 10 overs with just 63 on board, before folding for the lowest IPL total in Delhi.
Chasing 112 to win, Pathan and Jayawardene played cautiously and picked up occasional boundaries to give Punjab a good start.
In the fourth over, Jayawardene picked up his first four and followed it up with a six off fellow-countrymen Farveez Maharoof, before slamming a couple of fours in the next two overs off Amit Mishra and Rajat Bhatia.
The duo forged a 41-run opening stand off 40 balls, before Mishra got rid off Pathan in the seventh over.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene then added 24 runs off 26 balls to take Punjab to 65 in 11 overs when Paul Collingwood dismissed the latter.
With the Kotla pitch favouring slow bowlers, Sangakkara and new man Yuvraj decided to shun aggression and tried to build the innings with singles and twos.
With required run-rate mounting, Yuvraj cracked a four and a six -- first towards fine-leg and the next over the mid wicket -- off Bhatia in the 14th over to ease the pressure.
Sangakkara also heaved one delivery off Collingwood over the backward cover to pick up a four in the 16th over.
Earlier, Pathan and Chawla helped Punjab bundle out the hosts for a lowly 111 at the slow and turning track. Yuvraj and Love Ablish also accounted for one each.
David Warner (6) had started the Delhi innings on a positive note when he welcomed Ramesh Powar with a four in the first ball but Pathan removed Virender Sehwag for a duck in the first ball of the next over to dealt the first blow to the hosts.
New man Gambhir (26), however, was unperturbed as he milked Pathan for three fours in the next four balls before slamming Ablish for consecutive boundaries.
But some brilliant piece of fielding by Punjab affected two crucial run-outs to reduce Delhi to 41 for three in 4.1 overs.
The quick reflex of wicketkeeper Sangakkara did Gambhir in as the Delhi skipper succumbed to his third successive run out in IPL 3 in the fourth over.
Just one ball later, Sangakkara and Karan Goel joined hands to remove Warner in the first ball of the fifth over.
Collingwood (4) and Dinesh Karthik (17) then added 14 runs but Chawla struck twice, dismissing the former and new man Vettori (2) as Delhi lost half of their side for 63 in 10 overs.
Ashish Nehra was the last to go when he was caught at the boundary line by Chawla as Pathan completed his consecutive three-wicket haul.
Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils 111 (Irfan 3-24, Chawla 2-16) by seven wickets
Kings XI Punjab 112 for 3 (Jayawardene 38, Collingwood 2-19)
Result Kings XI Punjab won by seven wickets
MOM Piyush Chawla (Kings XI Punjab)
