Mumbai fans would have had a sigh of relief when Hardik Pandya hammered Mohammed Shami for a maximum in the last ball of the 19th over. It sealed a six-wicket win for Mumbai and ended a three-game winless run for the defending champions. Rohit Sharma’s men climbed to fifth in the points table, level on points with fourth-placed Kolkata. Two defeats in three games have left Punjab’s top-four hopes in the balance. Punjab, who will face Kolkata next, is sixth in the standings.
Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik excelled in Mumbai’s first win in the UAE leg. After restricting Punjab to 135/6, Mumbai lost two wickets in the powerplay. Tiwary, who replaced Ishan Kishan, led the recovery with a crucial 45, while Hardik’s 30-ball 40 ensured the match didn’t go to the last over. Earlier, Pollard left Punjab reeling after he dismissed Chris Gayle and KL Rahul in quick succession. Aiden Markram’s fighting 42 and a two-wicket haul from Ravi Bishnoi were the only positives for Punjab.
A typical start
After being asked to bat first, Punjab lost four wickets before the halfway point of the innings. The franchise, who brought Mandeep Singh in place of injured Mayank Agarwal in the playing 11, was 35/0 after five overs. But, ten balls later, Mandeep, Gayle, and Rahul were back in the dressing room. Krunal Pandya trapped Mandeep plumb in front. The ‘Universe Boss’ holed out to Hardik near the boundary line, while Rahul’s attempted pull found Jasprit Bumrah at short fine leg.
It got worse for Punjab when Nicholas Pooran was given out LBW to Bumrah. The wicketkeeper-batsman reviewed the decision, but replays showed the ball would have gone on to hit the middle stump. The on-field umpire’s decision stood, and Pooran had to walk back to the pavilion. Punjab lost four wickets with just 48 on the board.
A half-century stand
Markram and Deepak Hooda came to Punjab’s rescue, adding 61 runs for the fifth wicket. The duo managed to rotate the strike well and maintain a decent scoring rate. The South African batter scored boundaries off Rahul Chahar and Coulter-Nile. Hooda, meanwhile, hit the first and Punjab’s only six in the match. They added 15 runs in Boult’s third over and brought up the three-figure mark in the 15th over.
Chahar broke the partnership with the wicket of Markram. It dented Punjab’s progress, and they had to rely on singles and doubles to keep the scorecard ticking. Bumrah removed Hooda, who departed after he skied the ball to Pollard in the 19th over. Harpreet Brar and Nathan Ellis added 12 runs from the final eight balls to register a decent first innings total for the Mohali-based side.
Bishnoi strikes!
Chasing 136, Mumbai lost Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav in successive balls. The Mumbai captain slogged the ball straight to Mandeep at mid-on. Bishnoi cleaned up Suryakumar, who registered a fifth straight single-digit score in the tournament. At no 4, Tiwary avoided the hat-trick and kept the scorecard ticking with boundaries off Markram and Ellis.
Quinton de Kock received a life after Markram put down a tough catch near the boundary line. At the other end, Tiwary continued to find boundaries. He stepped down the track and hammered the ball over long-on. Brar conceded 11 runs in his first over. With the partnership going smoothly, Shami picked up De Kock’s wicket. The 28-year-old dragged the ball onto the stumps.
Tiwary & Hardik
Hardik saw an inside edge miss the stumps and race away to the boundary. Also, Brar dropped the Gujarat-born all-rounder on 7. Tiwary cleared the ropes in Bishnoi’s final over and moved to 40s. However, Ellis claimed the wicket of the left-handed batsman in the 16th over. He edged the ball behind to Rahul, who took a low catch. The ever-reliable Pollard joined Hardik, with Mumbai needing almost nine runs per over.
Shami and Arshdeep gave away 11 runs and 13 runs in their respective overs as Hardik and Pollard managed to bring the required rate well within their control. Hardik hit two fours and a six and finished the match with six balls remaining. The all-rounder made 40*, which is the highest score in the tournament this season. Mumbai will lock horns with Delhi on Saturday.
Punjab 135/6 in 20 overs (A Markram 42, D Hooda 28; J Bumrah 2/24, Pollard 2/8)
Mumbai 137/4 in 19 overs (S Tiwary 45, H Pandya 40*; R Bishnoi 2/25)
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
Read All Articles >
