New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab survived a late scare by Harbhajan Singh as they sealed their first win of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday at Wankhede Stadium.
Put into bat first, Kings XI Punjab posted a challenging total of 177 runs in their allotted 20 overs for the loss of five wickets.
Explosive opener Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay provided the initial thrust for the team as they built a 60-run partnership for the first wicket.
Sehwag scored 36 runs off 19 balls before he was dismissed by Harbhajan, who also claimed the wicket of Vijay (35).
Though swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (6) couldn’t contribute much to the total, skipper George Bailey smacked a brisk 61, along with David Miller’s 24 to help their side post a daunting total.
Chasing the target, Mumbai Indians failed to get a good start as they stuttered from the start of their innings.
Skipper Rohit Sharma couldn’t open his account as he was trapped lbw off Sandeep Sharma’s delivery for a duck.
While Aaron Finch was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for mere eight runs, Aditya Tare trudged back to the pavilion for his individual seven runs before the dismissal of Corey Anderson (5).
Subsequently, Ambati Rayadu (13) and Kieron Pollard (20) tried to steady the innings but failed to build on their respective starts.
Rohit’s men were reeling at 59-6 before Harbhajan found an able ally in Jagadeesha Suchit (34 not out) as they piled up 100 runs for the seventh wicket.
Harbhajan battled past a hovering run-rate as he smacked a quickfire 64, including 6 sixes and five fours, off just 24 balls before his dismissal at the penultimate ball of the match.
Finally, Mumbai Indians could only score 159-7 in their allotted 20 overs, and Kings XI Punjab skipper Bailey was named Man-of-the-Match for his stellar 61-run knock.
Axar Patel, Johnson and Anureet Singh were the pick of the bowlers for the Kings XI Punjab as they scalped two wickets each.
With the win, Kings XI Punjab are fifth in the points table while Mumbai Indians haven’t been able to secure a point yet from their previous two games.
(ANI)
