Kings XI Punjab 123-4 (Adam Gilchrist 64*, Mandeep Singh 24, Dwayne Bravo 2-18) beat Chennai Super Kings 120-7 (Dwayne Bravo 48, Suresh Raina 17, Parvinder Awana 2-12) by six wickets.

Adam Gilchrist led from the front with a defiant knock after skipping few games as Kings XI Punjab humiliated Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2012.

Chennai Super Kings managed 120 mere runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allocated 20 overs and Kings XI Punjab achieved the target by thrashing 123 runs in 16.3 overs with six wickets in hand.

Adam Gilchrist (Kings XI Punjab) was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his appealing unbeaten knock of 64 off 46 deliveries.

The 66^th match of the Indian Premier League was played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, on Thursday, May 17, 2012.

Earlier, the skipper of Kings XI Punjab, Adam Gilchrist, won the toss and offered the batting to Chennai Super Kings. They had a horrible start by losing their first two wickets for just 20 runs in 4.3 overs, the wickets included Murali Vijay and the experienced Michael Hussey. Suresh Raina and the captain, MS Dhoni, tried to establish the innings as the first got a life when dropped by Piyush Chawla off Praveen Kumar at two runs on the first ball of the seventh over.

Raina hit a couple of consecutive sixes in the eighth over off Azhar Mahmood but was caught behind by the wicket keeper, Adam Gilchrist for 17 on the fourth ball. Dhoni lost his wicket at 46 in 10.2 overs at his personal score of six runs as Dwayne Bravo put his head down and crafted the innings with a few little partnerships. He gathered 11 runs in the 14^th over with one six, a four and dispatched a couple of sixes in the 17^th over off David Hussey.

Dwayne Bravo was the seventh batsman who was dismissed for 48 off 43 balls with 3 sixes and 2 fours as Chennai Super Kings managed 120 mere runs in the metered 20 overs.

Praveen Kumar, Azhar Mahmood and Parvinder Awana shared a couple of wickets each as Ryan Harris picked one.

Kings XI Punjab initiated the innings with Adam Gilchrist and Mandeep Sigh as the latter scored two fours in the first over bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus. Gilchrist followed him with the same result in the next over and dispatched two more fours in the sixth over off Ravichandran Aashwin. Mandeep Singh punished Albie Morkel for two consecutive fours in the seventh over but the bowler took revenge on the fifth ball by uprooting his stumps.

The first wicket produced 51 runs off 6.5 overs as Mandeep Singh scored 24 off 21 balls with 5 fours when Gilchrist took command of the situation with a little assistance from the incoming batsmen. The wickets were crumbling at one end as Gilchrist dispatched 21 runs in the 15^th over off Yo Mahesh with two huge sixes and even fours and completed his fifty in the process as well. He remained unbeaten for 64 off 46 balls with 2 lofty sixes and 9 sweetly timed fours as Azhar Mahmood hit the winning four on the third ball of the 17^th over.

Kings XI Punjab smashed 123 with 21 balls to spare after losing just four wickets and won the match comprehensively by six wickets.

Points secured by both teams at the end of the 66^th match of the IPL 2012:

Chennai Super Kings    – 17 from 16 games at a net run rate of +0.100.

King XI Punjab             – 16 from 15 games at a net run rate of -0.172.