Mayank Agarwal's 21-ball 43 was pivotal in Kings XI Punjab's chase of 177. His good friend and state-mate KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 71 to see them home, but scored his runs at a much lower rate (Agarwal's smart strike rate was a whopping 280.95 to Rahul's 101.75). Agarwal also scored the tougher runs, which is reflected in their Smart Runs: though Rahul scored 28 more runs in the game, in terms of Smart Runs Agarwal actually pipped Rahul by a run, 59 to 58. That reflects the importance of Agarwal's innings.

Smart Runs and Smart Strike Rate of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The scoring rate was nearly 10 an over when Agarwal arrived. He faced 21 out of the 37 balls in the partnership, making 43 with six boundaries. Rahul made 18 off 16 without a boundary. in fact, when Agarwal got out in the 14th over, Rahul was on 30 off 36 balls. Agarwal's enterprise allowed Rahul the luxury to play himself into form and polish off the remaining runs. He made 41 off 21 after Agarwal's dismissal, which augurs well for Kings XI for the rest of the season.

R Ashwin vs M Ashwin

Murugan Ashwin picked up two wickets, R Ashwin none. Both conceded identical runs, but Smart Stats reveals R Ashwin was more effective, with a smart economy of 3.75 to M Ashwin's 5.00. The captain bowled two Powerplay overs, which were the tougher overs, whereas M Ashwin bowled his four in the middle of the innings.

Smart Economy rates of R Ashwin and M Ashwin ESPNcricinfo Ltd

R Ashwin, who bowled two of the first three overs, gave away 15 against the openers. His fourth - the 14th of the innings - went for just four. This built pressure. In comparison, M Ashwin bowled the 7th, 9th, 12th and 15th overs. Both Ashwins were outstanding, though, and clearly the best bowlers for Kings XI: the three pace bowlers in the team all had Smart Economy Rates of more than 10.

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