In one of the most exciting contests of the season, the Mumbai Indians (MI) held their nerves and registered a nine-run victory over the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 18 (Thursday). From tottering at 14/4 in a daunting run chase to almost securing a victory in remarkable fashion, the Punjab Kings ended up losing another close contest as their torrid run at home continued.
Ashutosh Sharma's innings of a lifetime goes in vain
Chasing a stiff target of 193 runs, the Punjab Kings got off to the worst possible start. The top four batters combined for just eight runs and the Kings were reeling at 14/4. Shashank Singh joined 'Impact Sub' Harpreet Singh Bhatia in the middle and fought fire with fire. After the duo added some quick runs for Punjab, Harpreet departed and the Kings slumped into further misery at 49/5. Jitesh Sharma departed soon for just nine runs and at 77/6, the home side looked cooked for all money.
Ashutosh Sharma joined forces with Shashank in the middle and the duo once again infused life back into the contest, just like they had done multiple times previously.
With the partnership building, Hardik Pandya turned to Jasprit Bumrah to break the alliance and the superstar pacer delivered. Shashank was outfoxed by Bumrah's slower delivery and departed after scoring 41 runs off 25 balls with the help of two fours and three sixes. At that point, only a miracle could have saved the home team.
Ashutosh Sharma looked like the miracle man for Punjab as the explosive right-handed batter played the innings of his lifetime. The 25-year-old launched seven sixes and two fours during his phenomenal knock of 61 runs off 28 balls. Just when Punjab looked on course to pull off a miraculous win, Ashutosh Sharma was dismissed by Gerald Coetzee and the home crowd went numb.
Harpreet Brar played a handy knock of 21 runs off 20 balls, including a sensation six straight down the ground but was dismissed in the penultimate over of the match. There was still some life left in the contest as Kagiso Rabada walked into bat and smoked his first ball for a six.
Needing 12 runs off the final over with just one wicket remaining, Punjab's quest ended in agony as Rabada was run out. Punjab were bundled out for 183 runs in 19.1 runs and fell short of the target by nine runs.
For Mumbai, Bumrah and Coetzee bagged three wickets each while Akash Madhwal, Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Gopal chipped in with a wicket each.
Suryakumar's fifty, Tilak Varma's blitz lifts Mumbai past 190
After being asked to bat first, Mumbai Indians rode on Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma's explosive knocks to post a daunting scored of 192/7 against Punjab Kings on a challenging pitch. Suryakumar overcame an initial slow start, scoring a dynamic 78 from 53 deliveries, while Varma aggressively scored 34 from just 18 balls, mainly through powerful leg-side hits. Tim David added to the score late in the game with a quick 14 off seven balls, giving the team a significant final push.
Despite the difficult low and slow pitch, the Mumbai Indians lineup managed to post the highest score yet recorded at this new IPL venue.
The partnership of Rohit Sharma, who scored 36 from 25 balls, and Suryakumar was crucial, putting together an 81-run stand for the second wicket. Later, Varma and David came into their own, though MI captain Hardik Pandya faced disappointment, managing only 10 runs from six balls.
During the powerplay, Rohit teamed up with Suryakumar, taking the score to 54/1. Throughout his innings, Rohit maintained a higher strike rate than his partner. In his 250th IPL game, he also surpassed the 6,500-run mark in the league.
Rohit's innings was dramatic; he successfully overturned a leg-before wicket decision using DRS and later got hit on the helmet attempting a paddle sweep off Sam Curran. He was eventually caught by Brar at backward point.
For Punjab, Harshal Patel bagged three wickets and conceded 31 runs. Curran bagged two wickets while Kagiso Rabada chipped in with a wicket
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