Indian Premier League: Power-Hitters Fail to Impress in Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab Final
When Kolkata Knight Riders battled Kings XI Punjab for the IPL title, the highly-rated batsmen of both sides - Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller - failed to light up the Bangalore night sky, leaving die-hard fans surprised.
Four of the top-seven run scorers in IPL 2014 featured in the title clash. Yet when Kolkata Knight Riders took on Kings XI Punjab, these men - for all their mammoth scores through the course of the tournament - failed to fire when it mattered most. Kolkata managed to beat Punjab however to win their second IPL title in three years. (Scorecard | Match Highlights)
Robin Uthappa, Glenn Maxwell, Virender Sehwag and David Miller have collectively scored 2113 runs in IPL 7. On Sunday, each of them came out to bat for their respective teams with a lot of promise for fireworks. Collectively, they scored just 13 runs - a shocking finale to an otherwise sensational performance.
While Uthappa - who finished with the purple cap courtesy 660 runs - could manage just five runs, Sehwag (7), Maxwell (0) and Miller (1*) were earlier conspicuous by their 'silent' batting at Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Even Gautam Gambhir - KKR skipper with three fifties in the tournament - scored 23 before falling at a crucial stage in the match.
The track here - traditionally known to have some assistance for fast bowlers - was not the most demanding. After all, Punjab's Wriddhiman Saha smashed 115* off 55 while Manan Vohra hit a 52-ball 67. (Read: Wriddhiman Saha's priceless century | In pics)
Then again, the pressure of playing the biggest match of IPL may have finally caught up to the superstars who otherwise dazzled in the event and ensured that this season was memorable.