Kings XI Punjab were asked to bat first by Rajasthan Royals in Mohali and they could manage a decent total of 182 despite KL Rahul’s sluggish fifty. The likes of Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller got aggressive starts but failed to turn it into a big score. However, skipper Ravichandran Ashwin smashed 17 runs off just four balls in the final over to ensure that they reach a fighting total. It did seem like a fairly easy chase for RR as the pitch got better in the second half, but KXIP bowled extremely well in the powerplay and death overs, thereby, they managed to win the match by 12 runs. The skipper was delighted to win this game, after a defeat in the previous two.

“I thought Arshdeep bowled really well in the first few overs. We had some plans for Jos and he really executed well.  He can actually swing the ball both ways and for a left-hander to swing both ways is a massive advantage in the first six as we have seen with Deepak Chahar in the CSK,” explained Ashwin

Ashwin was named the Man of the Match for his exploits with the bat and the ball. After a few terrific hits in the first innings, the off-spinner dismissed half-centurion Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson while giving away only 24 runs. The India player had tried his hands at leg spin in the previous IPL which was received with a mix response. However, he did not shy away from showing off his different variations and has also been tremendously successful with it. He made a statement to all those who suggested him to continue with his traditional off spin.

“For me, it's about getting various lengths with different speeds and trying to get the batsman with under cutter and reverse carrom. I worked on a lot of things despite people actually calling me for trying too many things, I kept on going,” asserted the 32-year-old.

“Most of the changes are actually forced, we got Moises into the eleven today. He was actually handed the cap but unfortunately he got injured in the last minute. Miller wasn't playing but he came in and played a vital hand for us, he took a couple of catches as well,” said Ashwin

Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman had hurt his shoulder while fielding near the boundary and by the looks of it, the injury seemed serious. He did not turn up for his fourth over as well, however, the skipper stated that the extent of the injury is yet to be known.