IPL 2018, KXIP vs MI: Mumbai slamming 20 runs in one over is SK Turning Point of the match

Mumbai Indians secured a very important win against the Kings XI Punjab at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Friday (May 4). It was vital for the defending champions to clinch the two points on the day, so as to keep their hopes of making the top-four alive.

Things went well for them upfront, as Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Kings XI Punjab put up a powerful total though, making 174 for 6 at the end of 20 overs. It was Chris Gayle who played the anchoring role for them, scoring 50 steady runs from 40 balls.

Mumbai got off to a fairly decent start in the second innings, with Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis partnering to score 38 runs in less than six overs. However, Lewis was dismissed off the third-last delivery of the batting powerplay, which made things difficult for the visitors going forward.

Ishan Kishan came in at one-down and played a useful knock of 25 off 19 deliveries, before being sent off to the pavilion by Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Yadav, who was eventually adjudged the Man of the Match for the day, extended his good run at the top of the order, smashing 57 runs in just 42 deliveries.

However, the SK Turning Point of the match came from the willows of Krunal Pandya and Sharma in the 18th over of the game. Before Marcus Stoinis was handed the ball for the same, MI required 36 off 18 deliveries to win the game. It was a balanced match up till that point, with MI having lost four wickets in the chase.

However, the third last over of the game turned things swiftly in MI’s favour. Both the batsmen, especially the elder Pandya, went after the Australian seamer and slammed as many as 20 runs in just six deliveries. After that, they required just 16 off the final two overs, which was an easy ask for batters of their calibre.

The annihilation of Stoinis’ bowling was initiated by the Mumbai skipper, who timed the second delivery of the over to the extra-cover boundary with beauty, elegance and panache. It was a Pandya-show thereafter, though. After Sharma took a single off the next ball, Pandya went berserk with a show of ruthless power and ability. He smashed the remaining three deliveries for two fours and one six, setting the tone for his side to clinch their third victory of the season and keeping them in contention to make the playoffs of the tournament.

The left-hander remained unbeaten with a match-winning cameo of 31 off 12 deliveries, while his captain stayed put at 24 off 15. Mumbai are now fifth on the points table and if they continue to get wins under their belt in the subsequent games of the group stage, they can make a substantial challenge for the top four slots.

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