Table-toppers take a tumble in Kings court

Adam Gilchrist and Co. would not have, even in their wildest dreams, expected the table-toppers to fold up like they did. In the end, the Indians were skittled for 87 in 12.5 overs as the delighted hosts happily grabbed the result. Ashutosh Sharma reports. Scorecard

Munaf Patel was the star for the Mumbai Indians with a five-wicket haul but Kings XI Punjab still managed to put up a decent total, reaching 163 for eight at the PCA Stadium on Tuesday. Kings, whose hopes in the IPL are hanging by a thread, were desperate for a win to stay alive in the tournament.

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Still, Adam Gilchrist and Co. would not have, even in their wildest dreams, expected the table-toppers to fold up like they did. In the end, the Indians were skittled for 87 in 12.5 overs as the delighted hosts happily grabbed the result.

Although Kings XI are still stuck second from bottom, their hopes of making it to the play-off are still alive.

Put into bat, Kings XI owed their total to the top four batsmen. Openers Paul Valthaty (14) and Gilchrist (28) set the tone before Shaun Marsh (43) and Dinesh Karthik (31), and a surprisingly high count of 22 extras, helped them reach 163 for eight.

However, Munaf Patel did pull things back. He claimed four of the top five batsmen to eventually finish with 5 for 21, and Kings XI owed their total and eventual victory to the 70-run partnership for the second wicket between Marsh and Gilchrist.

But it was their 20-year-old left-arm spinner Bharghav Bhatt who broke Mumbai’s back, capturing 4-22 after being asked to share the new ball. If Munaf caused damage at the top, Bhatt ran through the bottom half of the Indians batting.