Abu Dhabi: Deepak Hooda Sunday cracked an unbeaten 62 off 30 balls to take Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to a competitive 153/6 in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here.
It is the first time since his debut season in 2015 that Hooda has managed a half century in the IPL.
Hooda, 25, walked in after Chris Gayle’s dismissal left KXIP tottering at 72/4 in the 12th over. He went on the attack straightaway, scoring most of the runs in a 36-run stand with Mandeep Singh for the fifth wicket.
It was the second highest stand at the time for KXIP after the opening partnership of 48 between captain KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal.
Mandeep soon fell to Ravindra Jadeja and James Neesham was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi after which Chris Jordan stuck on with Hooda.
The pair put up 40 runs for the seventh wicket, 34 off which was scored by Hooda off just 12 balls. He hit three fours and four sixes in his innings.
Brief scores: KXIP 153/6 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 62 not out, KL Rahul 29; Lungi Ngidi 3/39)
IANS
