Dubai: Jos Buttler and Nitish Rana whipped the Kings XI Punjab attack to help Mumbai Indians record an emphatic eight wicket win with 27 balls to spare at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The pair put on 85 runs in 7.2 overs and turned Punjab’s impressive total of 198 for 4 into an easy target.
Buttler cracked 77 runs off 37 balls with seven fours and five sixes while inform Rana remained unbeaten on 62 with seven sixes.
Punjab opener Hashim Amla’s unbeaten maiden century (104n.o) in Twenty20 cricket went in vain. Amla and skipper Glenn Maxwell (40) had put on 83 runs in just 5.3 overs. Amla who reached his century in the last over faced 60 balls and hit eight boundaries and six sixes while Maxwell’s 40 came off just 18 balls with four boundaries and three sixes.
Chasing the target, Mumbai openers Parthiv Patel and Buttler gave Mumbai a brilliant start. They put on 81 runs in 5.5 overs before Marcus Stonis had Patel caught at mid-off for 37 runs. Rana joined Buttler and Mumbai went past the 100 run mark in 7.5 overs. Buttler reached his half century in 24 balls.
Rana too opened out and by the 12th over Mumbai went past the 150 run mark. Buttler’s innings ended when Mohit Sharma had him caught by Maxwell at mid-off. Rana too reached his half century in 29 balls and made it easy for Mumbai.
Earlier, Mumbai won the toss and elected to bowl. Opener Shaun Marsh began through a beautiful square cut boundary off Hardik Pandya to the third ball off the match while his partner Hashim Amla picked his first boundary off the second over from Mitchell McClenaghan slashing at a delivery and escaped being caught by Nitish Rana at backward point. In the third over, Marsh confidently hit Pandya for two consecutive boundary. The first shot was an upper cut over backward point and the second by picking the gap at point and cover.
When the dangerous Lasith Malinga was introduced in the fourth over, Amla hit the second delivery for a six over long on. McClenaghan ended Marsh’s innings by forcing him to flick into the hands of Kieron Pollard for 26 and end the 46 runs opening wicket partnership.
Wriddhiman Saha joined Amla but Harbhajan Singh, who bowled the fourth over giving just six runs bowled another tight eighth over giving six more runs only. Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya bowled even a tighter over giving only five. At the half way mark Punjab were 69 for 1 with no boundary hit in the last 26 balls.
However in the 11th over, Amla hit Krunal over long on for a six but Saha fell to the last ball of this over. When skipper Glenn Maxwell walked in, Mumbai introduced Malinga again. Amla sliced Malinga over backward point for a boundary and also punched him over his head to reach his half century in 34 balls. Though Amla picked a boundary off Krunal’s first ball of the 13th over he gave away just one run each from the rest of his deliveries. Punjab reached the 100 run mark but needed some big hits.
Maxwell hit Jasprit Bumrah for two consecutive boundaries in the 14th over. Though the first was top edge over wicketkeeper the second was deliberately sliced over backward point. Maxwell showed why he is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the 15th over hitting McClenaghan for two consecutive sixes, first over long on and second over the bowler’s head. The third delivery he whacked to mid wicket and completed the over with another six over square leg. Twenty-eight runs came off the over. When Amla too hit Malinga for a six into the roof of the stadium and also cracked him for a six over point. Twenty-two runs were taken off Malinga’s over for a total of 50 runs from the last two overs.
Bumrah ended Maxwell’s knock by clean bowling him with a slower delivery after his 40 runs off 18 balls. McClenaghan got rid of Marcus Stonis for 1 and gave away just five runs. Amla moved to his nineties in the 19th over. He hit Malinga for a six top edging over keeper and followed up with another six over backward square leg to reach his century.
Brief score
Mumbai Indians bt Kings XI Punjab by 8 wkts. Kings XI Punjab 198 for 4 in 20 overs (Hashim Amla 104n.o, Shaun Marsh 26, Glenn Maxwell 40, Mitchell McClenaghan 2 for 46) Mumbai Indians 199 for 2 in 15.3 overs (Parthiv Patel 37, Jos Buttler 77, Nitish Rana62n.o)
