Amla ton in vain as Buttler fires Mumbai top of IPL table

Jos Butter of Mumbai Indians

Hashim Amla's maiden T20 hundred was in vain as a rampant Mumbai Indians eased to an eight-wicket IPL victory over Kings XI Punjab after fifties from Jos Buttler and Nitish Rana.

Mumbai made light work of what was a seemingly-challenging total after Amla's stunning 104 had led Kings XI to 198-4 in Indore.

The visitors' opening partnership of 81 in 35 balls between Parthiv Patel (37 off 18) and Buttler laid the foundations for the England international to crash his first IPL half-century alongside the in-form Rana, who passed 50 for the third time this year.

Amla and home captain Glenn Maxwell (40) had earlier shared a third-wicket partnership of 83 in just 33 balls, with pacers Lasith Malinga (0-58) and Mitchell McClenaghan (2-46) on the receiving end of the hosts' onslaught.

But the total was no match for the power-packed Mumbai top order, as Buttler's career-best T20 score helped them move clear at the top of the table with their fifth consecutive win.

When we don't even need the full quota of overs to chase down. #KXIPvMI #CricketMeriJaan #MI pic.twitter.com/k6NQJWJ4nl

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 20, 2017

Shaun Marsh had earlier marked his IPL return with a typically stylish 26 off 21 balls, before Amla got to work against the visitors' attack. 

He took a particular liking to Malinga, scoring 51 runs from just 16 deliveries faced, while McClenaghan was also in for rough treatment when Maxwell sent his third over for 28, the second-most expensive this season.

That was all academic once Patel and Buttler showed their intentions, with the team 100 brought up just eight overs in.

Buttler skied Mohit Sharma to Maxwell with a second hundred of the match on the cards, but Rana (62 not out) continued his electrifying form with seven maximums to see Mumbai home with 27 balls to spare as he reclaimed the top run-scorer's orange cap from David Warner.