uthappa,samules help warriors to 166

20 overs Pune Warriors 166 for 6 (Samuels 46, Uthappa 40, Harmeet 3-24) v Kings XI Punjab
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Harmeet Singh picked up three wickets © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Pune Warriors v Kings XI Punjab at Pune Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League Teams: India | Kings XI Punjab | Pune Warriors

An 81-run partnership for the third wicket between Robin Uthappa and Marlon Samuels set the base for Pune Warriors India to post 166 on an untested pitch in their new home, the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. Some frenetic hitting by the lower middle-order provided some thrills for the home crowd, but the score could still test Kings XI Punjab, who stumbled chasing a larger target in their opening game.

Some circumspect running and good fielding by Kings XI put the pressure on the hosts at the start of the innings. Jesse Ryder, making his return to competitive cricket since announcing an indefinite break from cricket last year, looked a bit lost. The calling was dodgy, and it looked like a run-out was always around the corner after a few throws missed the stumps by a whisker. Ultimately, Ryder ended up being run-out but due to no fault of his own. Samuels dropped the ball wide of the bowler Praveen Kumar, called for the single, sent his partner back but Praveen's swift pick-up and throw was too good for Ryder.

Samuels was promoted to No.3, taking the spot left vacant by the South African Wayne Parnell. The West Indies batsman combined well with Uthappa to boost the scoring after Warriors were 43 for 2 after seven overs. The eighth over went for ten runs and the 10th, bowled by the left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma, went for 13.

With the more experienced Praveen and Dimitri Mascarenhas proving more difficult to score off with their restrictive stump-to-stump lines, also with the keeper up to the stumps, the pair took to Bipul. Both used their feet, clearing long-off for sixes, one of which just beat David Hussey's desperate leap at the edge of the rope. The duo also studied the field well, using the pace of the ball to fetch a couple of boundaries off deft touches to third man, with the fielder within the circle.

Uthappa fetched an audacious six, off one hand, over long-off but the bowler Harmeet Singh got the better of Samuels in the same over, bowling him off a slower delivery. Harmeet's following over yielded just a run and the wicket of Callum Ferguson, but his next was bitter-sweet. After bowling Uthappa with another slower delivery, Harmeet had to be taken out of the attack for bowling two full tosses above waist height. Bipul completed the over, which produced three massive hits over the on-side thanks to Manish Pandey and Steven Smith.

The 19th over produced 27 runs, lifting the team to a score just above par, but with the odd ball keeping low, Kings XI will need to chase well.