Kings XI Punjab romped to an 8-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Monday night. The Kolkata bowling unit looked out-of-sorts as KXIP batsmen Chris Gayle and Mandeep Singh took them for a ride. Gayle, who scored 51 in 29 balls, was adjudged man of the match.

“I have been doing some off the field training with the trainer when I wasn’t playing. I am feeling good, hitting the gym (laughs). You have that good feeling about yourself and about the team, capitalising on it as much as possible. We are happy now, but still a long way to go,” Gayle said in the post-match presentation.

Also Read | Punjab beat Kolkata by 8 wickets, keep playoff hopes alive

Gayle and Singh forged together a 100-run partnership to take their team home. “Today the coach asked the senior players to step up and win games for the team. Glad that myself and Mandeep put our hands up. The youngsters in the team are saying ‘Don’t retire.’ That was Mandeep,” Gayle added.

Singh, who remained unbeaten on 66 in 56 balls, ably supported Gayle and the big West Indian was all praises for him.

It was important to assess the conditions as quickly as possible. They had two very good spinners, it was about making the adjustment as quickly as possible. Once you get the first boundary going, I was always going to get into the zone. Tried to hit as straight as possible and it paid off for me today which was very good and it eased the pressure off Mandeep.

Also Read | BCCI announces squad for Australia tour; Rohit Sharma misses out, KL Rahul named vice-captain

“He batted superbly and it was a great partnership. The last game, we told that we wanted to win it for him (Mandeep). It’s so beautiful for him to stand out today, look up to the sky, his dad his watching him, really happy for him. And my dad, I love you too. We needed some sort of momentum to get that will power and the feeling that we can do it,” Gayle further added.

After this win, Kings XI Punjab are placed fourth in the IPL points table, while Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders slipped places. This was KXIP’s fifth win on the trot.