Mayank Agarwal (52, 32b, 6x4, 2x6) and Shikhar Dhawan (70, 50b, 5x4, 3x6) powered Punjab Kings to a competitive 198 for five before Kagiso Rabada (4-0-29-2) and Arshdeep Singh (4-0-29-0) put the brakes on the chase as the team defeated Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in an IPL match at the MCA Stadium on Wednesday.
It was the fifth straight defeat for the five-time champion, which was cruising at one stage after youngsters Dewald Brevis (49, 25b, 4x4, 5x6) and Tilak Varma (36) put on a brilliant 84-run stand off just 41 balls for the third wicket.
Shikhar Dhawan was steady to start with, but accelerated as his innings progressed to score a 50-ball 70. | Photo Credit: PTI
Chasing 199 for victory, Mumbai Indians made a bad start, losing openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan inside the PowerPlay overs.
The 18-year-old Brevis — nicknamed ‘Baby AB’ for his uncanny resemblance to AB de Villiers’ style of batting — then came up with some sensational shots. After taking nine balls to get off the mark, Brevis waded into leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, hitting him for a boundary and four consecutive sixes in the ninth over.
Tilak, too, joined the party, hitting sixes and fours at will off Vaibhav Arora and Odean Smith (four for 30).
After Brevis fell to Smith for 49, the run outs of Tilak and Kieron Pollard due to mix-ups with Suryakumar Yadav hurt the chase.
Suryakumar tried to make amends with a quickfire 43, but once he was dismissed by Rabada, it was all over for Mumbai Indians.
Earlier, skipper Mayank and Dhawan provided the perfect start after Kings was asked to bat, scoring 65 in the PowerPlay.
Mayank wasted no time in launching into pacer Basil Thampi, producing two superb cuts through the off-side in the first over.
The Karnataka batter then launched into M. Ashwin in the fifth over, cracking two boundaries and a six. The leggie had earlier dropped Mayank, on 10, off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling.
At the other end, Dhawan, though not at his fluent best, managed to find the boundary through clever upper-cuts using the bounce apart from scoops towards fine-leg.
After Mayank’s dismissal, Mumbai Indians did well to pull things back, thanks to some terrific bowling from Bumrah, who nailed his yorkers with missile-like precision.
However, Jitesh Sharma provided the much-needed fireworks during his unbeaten 30 off 15 balls, hitting Jaydev Unadkat for two sixes and two fours in the 18th over. Shahrukh Khan smashed Thampi for two sixes in the final over as Kings finished at 198, a dozen more than what Mumbai Indians scored.
Scoreboard:
PUNJAB KINGS
Mayank Agarwal c Suryakumar b M. Ashwin 52 (32b, 6x4, 2x6), Shikhar Dhawan c Pollard b Thampi 70 (50b, 5x4, 3x6), Jonny Bairstow b Unadkat 12 (13b, 1x4), Liam Livingstone b Bumrah 2 (3b), Jitesh Sharma (not out) 30 (15b, 2x4, 2x6), Shahrukh Khan b Thampi 15 (6b, 2x6), Odean Smith (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-8, w-8): 16; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 198.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-97 (Mayank, 9.3 overs), 2-127 (Bairstow, 13.5), 3-130 (Livingstone, 14.3), 4-151 (Dhawan, 16.6), 5-197 (Shahrukh, 19.4).
MUMBAI INDIANS BOWLING
Thampi 4-0-47-2, Unadkat 4-0-44-1, Bumrah 4-0-28-1, M. Ashwin 4-0-34-1, Mills 4-0-37-0.
MUMBAI INDIANS
Rohit Sharma c Vaibhav b Rabada 28 (17b, 3x4, 2x6), Ishan Kishan c Jitesh b Vaibhav 3 (6b), Dewald Brevis c Arshdeep b Smith 49 (25b, 4x4, 5x6), Tilak Varma run out 36 (20b, 3x4, 2x6), Suryakumar Yadav c Smith b Rabada 43 (30b, 1x4, 4x6), Kieron Pollard run out 10 (11b, 1x4), Jaydev Unadkat c Mayank b Smith 12 (7b, 1x6), M. Ashwin not out 0 (2b), Jasprit Bumrah c Dhawan b Smith 0 (1b), Tymal Mills c Mayank b Smith 0 (2b); Extras (w-4, nb-1): 5; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 186.
FALL OF WICKETS
1-31 (Rohit, 3.4), 2-32 (Kishan, 4.1), 3-116 (Brevis, 10.6), 4-131 (Tilak, 12.5), 5-152 (Pollard, 16.1), 6-177 (Suryakumar, 18.4), 7-185 (Unadkat, 19.3), 8-186 (Bumrah, 19.4), 9-186 (Mills, 19.6).
PUNJAB KINGS BOWLING
Vaibhav 4-0-43-1, Rabada 4-0-29-2, Arshdeep 4-0-29-0, Smith 3-0-30-4, Livingstone 1-0-11-0, Rahul Chahar 4-0-44-0.
Toss: MI; MoM: Mayank.
