At the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday, April 18, Mumbai Indians defeated Punjab Kings 192/7 in the first innings thanks to an all-around performance at the bat. But Hardik Pandya’s team’s total was called into doubt when Ashutosh Sharma entered the crease. Indeed, the Madhya Pradeshi man came dangerously close to pulling off one of the greatest run chases in the Indian Premier League 2024.
Since nothing in the tournament has gone well for Punjab Kings thus far, the loss means they will have to reconsider several of their preparatory decisions. As they sit ninth in the IPL 2024 Points Table after losing their fifth straight match, the Kings are actually in danger of being ousted from the Playoffs competition.
Speaking Points
1. The undue reliance of MI on the top four
Although MI has one of the strongest batting depths, the middle-order is unable to come through and close off innings. While players like Romario Shepherd and Hardik Pandya were unable to perform to their full potential at bat, Rohit Sharma (36 off 25), Suryakumar Yadav (78 off 53), and Tilak Varma (34 off 18) scored the majority of the runs tonight. It won’t hurt until they win, but it’s preferable that the finishers understand they have work to accomplish.
2. Bumrah: Quite Simply Unique
Speaking of maintaining composure under pressure, Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-21-3) has been the five-time champs’ 24-carat jewel. Bumrah hit a brilliant yorker to remove Rilee Rossouw from the game against a strong batting lineup. Along with defeating Shashank Singh, who appeared dangerous, the speedster also defeated opposition captain Sam Curran. MI won the game because his fourth over only yielded five runs, earning him Player of the Match honors.
3. Ashutosh Sharma demonstrates his courageous nature
Ability and opportunity collide. That’s precisely what happened when Punjab awarded Ashutosh Sharma a position in the starting eleven. The batsman put Punjab back in the lead with an incredible hit of 61 off just 28 deliveries. But in a thrilling last over, the hosts lost by 10 runs after his departure. Bumrah scored a maximum off a sweep stroke despite facing the best bowler in the world, demonstrating his daring approach and winning spirit.
Also read: Harshal Patel reacts angrily as Tilak Varma’s crazy slog hits the spider cam during PBKS vs. MI
The losing skipper, Sam Curran, said:
Another close one, I think this team likes a close one, but unfortunately another loss. Another incredible knock from the young guy (on Ashutosh), but another close loss. It’s very tough, you want to lose close games rather then getting absolutely thumped, but we’ve lost a lot of wickets at the start, the way the younger guys have taken the team so close is heartening (on Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma).
They have incredible confidence, you see a guy like Ashutosh having the confidence to play the sweeps and the big hits against pacers, it’s so great to watch them in action. It’s disheartening to lose close games, but there are a lot of positives in this team. We still have the belief in us, we believe we can turn this around, the sun will come up tomorrow and we will hopefully get on a winning run.
The winning skipper, Hardik Pandya, said:
Very good game. Everyone’s nerves got tested. We spoke that the characters will be checked in this game. But natural you think you are ahead but you know IPL has a tendency to show that oppositions can come back and how! [Ashutosh] Unbelievable, playing the way he did and hitting the ball off the middle. Great for his future. We did speak in the timeout about it is not about how we look, we will keep fighting. Make sure we don’t ball the soft balls. Batsmen played good shots but we were soft in certain overs. Nevertheless, a win is a win.
Player of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah, said:
Much closer game than what we thought. Want to make an impact early on. In this format, ball swings for two overs, and you want to make use of that. This format is a little difficult for the bowlers because the batsmanship is going over, plus the time restrictions and the Impact Player rule. What you can do is prepare your best and back yourself. Go out there and give your best. I try to relay messages from wherever I am on the field. You don’t want to give too many messages.
India
