It is time for the Mumbai Indians to evaluate themselves. They sit at number 5 with just 12 points, which puts the Kolkata Knight Riders in prime position to finish in top 4 ahead of Rohit Sharma and co.
It seems as though the new home ground of Mumbai Indians isn’t lucky for them. After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma, in a bizarre move, chose to bat first. And he paid for it as the KXIP ripped through the home team’s batting line up like a knife cuts through butter.
In the end, Punjab chased down Mumbai’s target of 128 with relative ease. One can only wonder what could have happened had the captaincy of the team been handed to Murali Vijay at the beginning of the tournament.
There were several memorable moments in the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Here are 5 of the best:
1) Stoinis’ fury
Marcus Stoinis is having a tournament to remember. Playing in his first IPL tournament, he has wreaked havoc with both the bat and the bowl and is one of the frontrunners to win the emerging player award.
The Australian spew wrath to which the Mumbai Indians batsmen had no answer. In the 4 overs that he bowled, he gave away only 15 runs while picking up 4 wickets in the process.
His performances won him the man of the match award in the end, and none deserved it more.
2) Pollard in good form
Kieron Pollard was struggling for form for a long period of time. However, he seems to have turned the tides in his favour in this IPL.
Playing yet another good knock, Pollard scored 27 runs in 20 balls. It might not seem like a lot of runs—and it isn’t—but it came at a time when Mumbai were at risk of not scoring even 100.
This is an advantage of IPL—out of form players are brought back to life and before they know it, they are playing for their respective countries again.
3) Krunal Pandya’s fine knock
Hardik Pandya might have been the hype before the tournament began, but it is his brother who is making it to the team in his stead.
The elder Pandya has been in great form since the beginning of the IPL. He might have faded in the middle, but he is back in form now—and today he displayed his hitting power with a 12-ball 19. Another small innings, but a very important one as it saved Mumbai from being further embarrassed.
4) Murali Vijay leads from the front
Ever since he has become the captain of the team, his performances have also improved significantly. Some players break under the pressure of captaincy, hampering their playing meanwhile. However, some thrive under the responsibility and Murali Vijay seems like one of those people.
The target to chase wasn’t grand—only 128 runs to chase from 120 balls. An easy task. However, things could have gotten ugly after Hashim Amla fell for a duck. But Vijay didn’t let that affect him as he went on to score a wonderful 52-ball 54—playing a sensible innings which was the need of the hour.
5) Saha’s fine form
Apart from this IPL being a great tournament for the openers, the wicketkeepers have also been in fine form—and Wriddhiman Saha finds himself in that list. While Lokesh Rahul is making waves and cases for a place in the India team, Saha, with his form, showed that he is no pushover.
After Hashim Amla fell early, someone needed to play a perfect support role for Murali Vijay. However, Saha didn’t do that. He took the mantle on himself to attack and let Murali Vijay play the anchor role.
And it worked. He scored 56 runs while facing just 40 balls—registering yet another good knock under his name.
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