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Mohali - Kings XI Punjab warmed up for their qualifier against Kolkata on Tuesday by beating Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets in just 14 overs in Mohali on Sunday.
Chasing a dismal total 116, their success took their win record to 11, and condemned the Daredevils to their ninth straight loss.
Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, the Daredevils might have dared to hope, when they dismissed Virender Sehwag (7) and Glenn Maxwell (0) to leave the table-topping Kings rocking on 16 for two after four overs.
But David Miller (47) and Manan Vohra (47) soon put that notion away, hammering 43 runs off three overs to establish the natural order of things. They put on 96 together, sealing the game, until Vohra was bowled by Imran Tahir with four runs needed.
Earlier Daredevils' captain Kevin Pietersen struck his first 50 of the IPL season after being put in to bat. He had made the point earlier in the season, as the team began their slide, that he needed to lead from the front; something which he had failed to do until this innings.
But he received no support from his demoralised teammates as he battled to avoid a historic humiliation.
Pietersen ended with 58 with nine fours, off 41 balls, although even he would recognise he had his moments of great fortune, twice getting inside edges which incredibly slipped past the stumps on their way to the boundary. He was eventually adjudged lbw to Rishi Dhawan with a delivery which looked as if it could miss the leg-stump.
After the match, Pietersen apologised to the Delhi faithful for their abject display.
The Daredevils had been looking good at 43 for one going into the final over of the powerplay, but two wickets to pacemen Parvinder Awana undermined their ambitions. Dinesh Karthik carved one to point and Kedar Jadhav will have earned no prizes for the way he danced out and sliced straight to mid-off.
When Manoj Tiwary was run out in the 10th over, the Daredevils were in a slump at 67-4, having scored just 26 runs and lost three wickets in five overs. A vicious wind suddenly sprang up across the ground, and with it the Daredevils' hopes of a challenging target were blown away.
JP Duminy, the franchise's leading batsman, top-edged a sweep and the following over, the anchor that was Pietersen was on his way.
The tail offered nothing but encouragement to the bowlers; Anwar ending with two for 15 and Karanveer Singh the best of the rest with two for 22.
KINGS XI PUNJAB: V Sehwag, M Vohra, GJ Maxwell, WP Saha (wk), DA Miller, GJ Bailey (capt), AR Patel, MG Johnson, R Dhawan, Karanveer Singh, P Awana
DELHI DAREDEVILS: MA Agarwal, KP Pietersen (capt), KD Karthik (wk), JP Duminy, MK Tiwary, KM Jadhav, JDS Neesham, S Nadeem, JD Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, Imran Tahir
Chasing a dismal total 116, their success took their win record to 11, and condemned the Daredevils to their ninth straight loss.
Perhaps, for a fleeting moment, the Daredevils might have dared to hope, when they dismissed Virender Sehwag (7) and Glenn Maxwell (0) to leave the table-topping Kings rocking on 16 for two after four overs.
But David Miller (47) and Manan Vohra (47) soon put that notion away, hammering 43 runs off three overs to establish the natural order of things. They put on 96 together, sealing the game, until Vohra was bowled by Imran Tahir with four runs needed.
Earlier Daredevils' captain Kevin Pietersen struck his first 50 of the IPL season after being put in to bat. He had made the point earlier in the season, as the team began their slide, that he needed to lead from the front; something which he had failed to do until this innings.
But he received no support from his demoralised teammates as he battled to avoid a historic humiliation.
Pietersen ended with 58 with nine fours, off 41 balls, although even he would recognise he had his moments of great fortune, twice getting inside edges which incredibly slipped past the stumps on their way to the boundary. He was eventually adjudged lbw to Rishi Dhawan with a delivery which looked as if it could miss the leg-stump.
After the match, Pietersen apologised to the Delhi faithful for their abject display.
The Daredevils had been looking good at 43 for one going into the final over of the powerplay, but two wickets to pacemen Parvinder Awana undermined their ambitions. Dinesh Karthik carved one to point and Kedar Jadhav will have earned no prizes for the way he danced out and sliced straight to mid-off.
When Manoj Tiwary was run out in the 10th over, the Daredevils were in a slump at 67-4, having scored just 26 runs and lost three wickets in five overs. A vicious wind suddenly sprang up across the ground, and with it the Daredevils' hopes of a challenging target were blown away.
JP Duminy, the franchise's leading batsman, top-edged a sweep and the following over, the anchor that was Pietersen was on his way.
The tail offered nothing but encouragement to the bowlers; Anwar ending with two for 15 and Karanveer Singh the best of the rest with two for 22.
KINGS XI PUNJAB: V Sehwag, M Vohra, GJ Maxwell, WP Saha (wk), DA Miller, GJ Bailey (capt), AR Patel, MG Johnson, R Dhawan, Karanveer Singh, P Awana
DELHI DAREDEVILS: MA Agarwal, KP Pietersen (capt), KD Karthik (wk), JP Duminy, MK Tiwary, KM Jadhav, JDS Neesham, S Nadeem, JD Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, Imran Tahir
