Delhi Daredevils tasted defeat in their opening IPL 2018 match as Kings XI Punjab secured a convincing six-wicket victory at Mohali on Sunday.

Having set a modest target of 168, Gautam Gambhir‘s men were unable to taste victory as KL Rahul smashed the fasted IPL fifty off just 14 balls. Daredevil’s star pacer Trent Boult ended up with figures of 1-34 as the hosts won with more than an over to spare.

Here, we take an in-depth look at the New Zealander’s performance on the day.

STATISTICS

OVERS BOWLED: 3.5

RUNS CONCEDED: 34

WICKETS: 1

ECONOMY RATE: 8.86

30-SECOND REPORT

The Blackcaps pacer had a mixed day at the office, going at over eight runs an over as KL Rahul landed some early blows in his spell. He did manage to pick up his wicket ultimately but it was not enough as the hosts cantered home to a comfortable win. Boult was unable to find his trademark swing, making him half as effective as he was unable to lead his side back into the game.

GOT RIGHT

Boult used all experience to stem the run-flow despite being taken for a few boundaries early in his spell. He kept chipping away at the batsman and got his reward with the wicket of half-centurion KL Rahul. Despite being hit for two sixes and as many boundaries, Boult had conceded only 24 runs by the time he finished his third.

GOT WRONG

The IPL has made some great international bowlers look like amateurs due to nature of the format and wickets. Sunday was one such day as Boult came directly in the line of fire of Rahul’s assault at the top of the innings. Top edges and agricultural shots against good length deliveries resulted in some serious punishment for the Kiwi ace.

VERDICT – 6/10

Despite being attacked at the start, Boult kept his cool to pull things back. Without any help from the surface, he was willing to bend his back and toil away for his side but he lacked the cutting edge that was required from Daredevils’ strike bowler. He could have done more given his pedigree but he didn’t have a lot to defend anyway.