CHRIS DHAMBARAGE
COLOMBO – Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh produced a magnificent last over to help Punjab Kings (PBKS) pull off a stunning 13-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
The 24-year-old from Madhya Pradesh bowled his heart out to defend 15 runs in the decisive last over as MI finished at 201 for six after they were set an imposing victory target of 215 runs.
Arshdeep conceded only two runs in the last over and captured the wickets of Tilak Varma and impact player Nehal Wadhera off successive deliveries as the Kings went on to register their fourth victory of the current season.
However, MI were cruising along at one stage towards their target with Tim David having launched a 114-metre six and an in-form Tilak riding high on a vociferous home crowd.
MI recovered from an early setback as Rohit Sharma and Cameron Green combined elegance with power to counterattack and hit three sixes and four fours and take the score to 54 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Thereafter, Suryakumar Yadav got into the groove quickly as he went on a boundary-hitting spree. He brought up his fifty off just 23 balls paddling one for four, off Curran as MI took 14 runs off the 17th over.
With 40 needed off 18, Tim David whipped one over deep square leg for a six off Arshdeep, but the PBKS pacer got the huge wicket of Suryakumar, caught at mid-wicket.
Earlier, Skipper Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh were associated in a 90-run stand for the fifth wicket off 50 balls as PBKS went on to amass their highest total of the current season.
At the halfway stage, the Kings were wobbly at 83 for four. However, the floodgates opened with Arjun Tendulkar – who had bowled a yorker to trap Prabhsimran Singh lbw earlier – wilting under the onslaught.
The 16th over, which turned out to be an eight-ball over, saw Curran and Harpreet plunder 31 runs. The onslaught continued as the Kings hammered 96 runs in the last five overs to shift the momentum in its favour.
Chief scores:
Punjab Kings: 214/8 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 26, Atharva Taide 29, Sam Curran 55, Harpreet Singh 41, Jitesh Sharma 25, Cameron Green 2/41, Piyush Chawla 2/15)
Mumbai Indians: 201/6 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 44, Cameron Green 67, Suryakumar Yadav 57, Tim David 25 n.o, Arshdeep Singh 4/29)
