What an exhilarating game of cricket it was between Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Delhi Daredevils (DD) in match 22 of VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. Punjab snatched a fantastic four-run victory from Delhi who had their nerves all over the place. With their fifth win out of six matches played so far in IPL 2018, R Ashwin-led Kings XI Punjab regained the top position in the points table pushing Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The next game is expected to be another exciting contest, Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, interestingly falling on former cricketer and Mumbai’s marquee player Sachin Tendulkar’s 45th birthday. Let us take a look match highlights of DD vs KXIP, preview and our prediction of MI vs SRK game and a glance at points table and team standings.

Highlights of Match 22 on April 23, 2018: Kings XI Punjab beat Delhi Daredevils by 4 Runs

Kings XI Punjab continued with their winning momentum despite facing significant hiccups in the match against Delhi Daredevils. Nevertheless, they recovered it well to beat the home side by four runs playing at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. A Chris Gayle-less Kings XI Punjab had a tough time posting a decent total on the board after being invited to bat first by Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir. The marauding West Indies batsman was sitting out of the game due to soreness and his team clearly felt his absence. Punjab managed a total of 143 courtesy Karun Nair (34), David Miller (26), KL Rahul (23) and Mayank Agarwal (21). DD vs KXIP Video Highlights IPL 2018: Bowlers Help Kings XI Punjab Outplay Delhi Daredevils.

For Delhi, it was lone fighter Shreyas Iyer who took his side near to the victory but failed to cross the line. He made 57 runs off 45 deliveries but could not get the 17 runs needed off final over bowled 17-year-old Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The best part of Delhi Daredevils’ innings was watching Prithvi Shaw, the youngster who captained India to lift 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made 22 runs off 10 deliveries at the time when DD skipper Gautam Gambhir was struggling to touch the ball at the other end.

Brief Scores: Kings XI Punjab: 143/8 in 20 Overs, Run Rate: 7.15 (Karun Nair 34, David Miller 26, KL Rahul 23; Liam Plunkett 3/17, Trent Boult 2/21) beat Delhi Daredevils 139/8 in 20 Overs, Run Rate: 6.95 (Shreyas Iyer 57, Rahul Tewatia 24, Prithvi Shaw 22; Ankit Rajpoot 2/23, Andrew Tye 2/25, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/25) by four runs.

Day 18 Schedule on April 24, 2018: Mumbai Indians Banks on Sachin Tendulkar’s Birthday Luck to Win Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Mumbai Indians hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad to play their sixth match. Rohit Sharma’s unit has lost four out five games in last overs and they’re in desperate need of some good luck. They will hope Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday brings about the much-needed change in their luck (yes, believe it or not, teams associated with Master Blaster have won matches played on his birthday). As for Sunrisers Hyderabad, after recording a hattrick of wins in first three games of IPL 2018, Kane Williamson’s side are on the verge of facing a hat-trick of defeats. Both teams are seeking a victory for their survival in the competition making the contest exciting! MI vs SRH, IPL 2018 Match Preview : Sunrisers Hyderabad Fancy Chances Against Under-Pressure Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2018 Match 23 Prediction: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

In eleven matches played so far, Sunrisers Hyderabad have won six while Mumbai Indians have tasted victories in five of them. Both teams have match winners and boast of a balanced unit making it difficult for us to choose a match winner. However, we place our bet on Mumbai Indians solely for Sachin Tendulkar birthday luck factory *big smiles*.  Sachin Tendulkar Holds This Distinctive Record on His Birthday: List of Innings Played by Master Blaster on 24th April.

A Look at IPL 2018 Points Table

Kings XI Punjab are leading the race in the group stage with 10 points after winning five matches out of six games played so far. They have leap-frogged Chennai Super Kings to the second place. Kolkata Knight Riders are safely placed in the third position while Hyderabad is still in the top four, which they’ll continue to be placed irrespective of results against Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals are in the fifth place, Royal Challengers Bangalore in the sixth, Mumbai Indians in the seventh place while wooden spooners Delhi Daredevils are bottom placed in the IPL 2018 points table.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2018 04:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).