The Indian Premier League witnessed another exhilarating night of batting as the Mumbai Indians continued their impressive form with a second consecutive win, this time against the Punjab Kings at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
The visitors successfully chased down a daunting target of 215 with seven balls to spare, showcasing their batting prowess in a thrilling encounter at the packed Mohali stadium.
In what seemed like an improbable chase, the five-time champions had their backs against the wall after skipper Rohit Sharma fell for a duck. However, the visitors weren't bothered by Rohit's cheap departure as young Indian opener Ishan Kishan (75 off 41 balls) took on the Punjab bowlers in the Powerplay.
The visitors were conservative in the first half of their chase; however, they came to life in the 11th over of the match, dispatching Rahul Chahar for 14 runs. The match further tilted in Mumbai’s favour when Suryakumar Yadav (66 off 31 balls) broke free against Sam Curran in the 13th over. He smashed the most expensive IPL player for four consecutive boundaries to register a blistering half-century. Meanwhile, Ishan also kept his foot on the accelerator with a fiery half-century.
The duo stitched a match-winning partnership of 116 runs off 55 balls, even as all-rounder Sam Curran leaked 41 runs off three overs. Surya, playing as the impact player, hit his highest score of this IPL and his third half-century in four innings. Kishan scored his second 50, not having cashed in on a few starts after his first half-century against KKR.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan made a mockery of the chase before Nathan Ellis broke their partnership by dismissing SKY. Kishan also departed in the next over as Punjab got rid of both the set batters in quick succession to make a comeback in the contest. MI still needed 45 runs; however, PBKS's hopes were short-lived as Tilak Verma and Tim David came out all guns blazing and took Mumbai over the finishing line.
Earlier, Punjab Kings did not make the greatest start to the match after explosive opener Prabhsimran Singh was dismissed in the second over of the match with just nine runs to his name. However, veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan ensured a solid Powerplay for his side with a brisk partnership with Matthew Short. Mumbai Indians wrestled back the momentum after Dhawan's wicket as Short struggled to get going after the field restrictions.
Punjab were 78/2 at the end of 10 overs, and most teams would have slowed down to try and be back on track. But not PBKS! They ended up scoring 136 off the last 10 overs, courtesy the swashbuckling unbeaten 119-run partnership off 53 balls between Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma.
It all started off in the opening over of Akash Madhwal, who conceded 16 that included a no-ball as well. PBKS have just the ideal line-up for T20s. Though Short got out in the next over to Chawla, PBKS bat deep, and so Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone kept smashing the ball from the word go.
Having faced just two balls, Jitesh took on Archer in the 13th over and squeezed 21 off the over to regain momentum for the home side, and the whiplash never stopped. Livingstone belted Archer for a hat-trick of sixes in the penultimate over, and the latter had to endure the record of bowling his most expensive spell in the IPL. Liam Livingstone notched up his first half-century of the ongoing Indian Premier League season.
He had come to the match on the back of a 24-ball 40 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) only a few days ago, but this time the Englishman seemed to have rediscovered his touch with the bat to get to his 50 in 32 balls. Livingstone hit seven fours and a six to reach the milestone.
Livingstone's breathtaking partnership with Jitesh Sharma blew away the Mumbai Indians in the middle overs. The duo put on a masterclass in power-hitting, while Jitesh remained unbeaten on 49 runs off just 27 deliveries, the star English all-rounder hammered 82 runs in 42 deliveries to take Punjab to a mammoth total of 214 runs in their 20 overs.
In the end, it was a disappointing result for the Punjab Kings, who would have hoped for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Despite a tremendous batting performance, their bowlers couldn't quite deliver, and they will have to regroup quickly and come back stronger in their next game.
On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians once again showcased their batting prowess and proved why they are one of the most dominant teams in the IPL. With their ability to chase down huge totals, they remain a formidable force and a top contender for the title this season.
