Catches win matches and that has been the story of Kings XI Punjab's victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday. If Mohit Sharma and Rahul Tewatia's bowling did the work, so did Glenn Maxwell's 44. However, it was Axar Patel's brilliant fielding which played the crucial role in KXIP's victory.
Patel first struck when he took the brilliant catch of Robin Uthappa at deep mid-on to give Tewatia his second wicket in one over.
Later on, when Chris Lynn and Manish Pandey were on their way of stabilising the KKR innings, Patel broke the partnership as he held onto a catch at deep midwicket.
However, the icing on the cake was the run out of Lynn. The opener, who was going strong at 83, looked invincible even when his team-mates failed to provide the necessary support at the other end. But, an accurate throw from Patel helped Wriddhiman Saha remove the important batsman, who was a foot short of the line.
Deservingly, Patel was awarded the 'Catch of the match' and even got a mention from captain Maxwell during the award ceremony, who said: "...Axar Patel led by example."
