Mumbai Indians beat Punjab Kings by 9 runs
Mumbai Indians managed to fend off a valiant effort by Punjab Kings batsman Ashutosh Sharma to win by nine runs in a fiercely fought IPL thriller.
Invited to bat first, Mumbai Indians started on a decent note. After losing only two wickets in the first 12 overs, Suryakumar Yadav smashed an impressive 78 runs off 53 balls to help the team post a solid 192-7.
The second innings began disastrously for the Punjab Kings, with fast bowler Gerald Coetzee and Indian pacer Japsrit Bumrah striking quickly to leave them reeling at 14-3 at the end of the second over.
Sharma eventually managed to help rebuild the innings with an explosive 61 runs off 28 balls, aided ably by Shashank Singh (41) and Harpreet Brar (21), but it was ultimately not enough to carry them through the day.
Punjab Kings acting captain Sam Curran said it was “heart-breaking” for his team to take it close and still lose.
“This team loves a close game. Thanks to Ashutosh, we’ve done well to get close. Hopefully, we can win the close ones and gain momentum,” Curran added.
Mumbai openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma kicked off the first innings with an 18-run partnership before Kishan, who hit eight runs off eight balls, fell in the third over, leaving the team at 18-1.
Sharma scored a 25-ball 36 and built another partnership with Suryakumar Yadav before falling in the 12th over.
Yadav smashed 78 runs off 53 balls before being dismissed in the 17th over.
Young Tilak Varma went on to rack up a solid 18-ball 34, with the assistance of cameos from Hardik Pandya (10) and Tim David (14), to help Mumbai wrap up the first innings at 192-7.
In the early portion of the second innings, the game seemed in the bag, partly due to the sharp bowling of Coetzee and Bumrah, who took three wickets each.
When Sharma’s glimmer of hope was extinguished, Kagiso Rabada made a last-ditch attempt with eight runs off three balls but ultimately fell in the last over.
“What a game. We started well. Cricket is a funny game. We thought we had it. They battled well. Then it was like a see-saw,” said Coetzee.