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IPL 2021: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle guide Punjab Kings to nerveless win against Mumbai Indians
Chasing a modest target of 132, Punjab Kings completed the task with 14 balls to spare. Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 60 and veteran Chris Gayle remained not out on 43 for the victors. Earlier, MI skipper Rohit Sharma scored his first half-century of the season but still his team could only manage 131 for 6.
To understand Rohit Sharma’s proficiency in the T20 format, let’s break down the towering sixes that he hit in the 10th and 12th overs against Punjab Kings in Chennai on Friday evening. The first one sailed over long-on after Fabian Allen offered a full toss, and the second was pulled over midwicket as Deepak Hooda was too short in his length.
Against an attack that had come to the park with a strategy, Sharma laid low till his chance came. Mumbai had scored the lowest Powerplay score (21/1) this season by any team, but Sharma was unperturbed.
With Mohammed Shami (4-0-21-2) using all his experience to bowl tight lines and the wily young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (4-0-21-2) unleashing all the tricks in his bag to keep the defending champions quiet, Sharma took his time to select the weak link. And once Fabian Allen gave a hint of width in the eighth over, Sharma had found his victim. The left-arm spinner went for 11 runs in that over with Sharma punishing him with fours in the backward point region.
PBKS vs MI full highlights
It kickstarted a phase for Mumbai which was the force behind them reaching 131/6 in 20 overs, after losing two wickets in the first seven overs and four in the last five. Sharma assessed the conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium well, strung a 79-run stand (56 balls) with No. 4 Suryakumar Yadav in the middle overs and brought up his first half-century of this edition in 40 balls.
It was quite an example of “cricket smartness.” Something which Punjab captain KL Rahul mentioned at the toss his team lacked in their previous game at the venue against Sunrisers Hyderabad to suffer their third loss on the trot. On Friday, Punjab though gave enough examples of it as the night ended on a different note – with a nine-wicket win.
Despite Sharma’s smart approach along with some assistance from Yadav, Punjab bowled according to a plan. They reserved the first five overs to the medium pace of Moises Henriques and the off-spin of Hooda. The death overs were bowled by the veteran Shami and the in-form left arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. Bishnoi, replacing Murugan Ashwin for his first game this season, befuddled Mumbai batsmen with his googlies to keep the lid on the run flow. Punjab used six bowlers, with four of them going under 5.30 per over. It meant Mumbai were restricted to their lowest total this season.
But if there is one persistent theme this edition, it’s that low totals are often the trickiest to chase. Mumbai won their second and third games in Chennai after posting 152 and 150 against Kolkata Knight Riders and SRH respectively.
Punjab openers Rahul and Mayank Agarwal allayed some of that fear, reaching 52/0 in seven overs, by taking on Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah. But once Rahul Chahar got Agarwal, who mistimed a shot to Suryakumar Yadav at long on in the eighth over, started a lull phase.
Chahar (4-0-19-1) and off-spinner Jayant Yadav (4-0-20-0) bowled in tandem to keep Punjab quiet. There were no signs of desperation though from Punjab. It wasn’t until the 12th over that Punjab found another boundary through Rahul. Gayle at the other end went after Jayant in the 13th over with two back-to-back fours to calm the nerves. It brought down the equation to 50 needed off 42 balls. Rahul (60, 52 balls) and Gayle (43, 35 balls) ensured Punjab reached target with 14 balls to spare.
