IPL 2017, MI vs KXIP: 5 things that went wrong for Mumbai Indians
The Wankhede lived up to its reputation of being a high-scoring ground as we witnessed a run-fest when Mumbai Indians took on Kings XI Punjab. While Punjab needed two crucial points in order to stay alive in the contention for the play-offs, Mumbai Indians were looking to get back to winning ways after their loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
However, it was the visitors who came out on top, thanks to a brilliant last over from Mohit Sharma who tied down the rampaging Kieron Pollard to defend 16 runs. There were no favourites till the last over was bowled and Punjab will now breathe a lot easier after the hard-earned win over the table toppers.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma, the MI skipper, won the toss and decided to bowl first very much adhering to the trend. But, the Punjab openers, Wriddhiman Saha and Martin Guptill got them off to a flier as they added 68 runs for the first wicket. The carnage continued even after Guptill fell victim to Karn Sharma after scoring 36 in just 18 balls.
Glenn Maxwell smashed his way to 47 runs in just 21 balls and laid the perfect platform for the middle order to go for broke. Saha was brilliant on the night as he kept hitting boundaries at will and remained not out on 93. And a 13-ball 19 cameo from Axar Patel pushed the target further to 230.
Also read: MI vs KXIP player ratings
Though MI got a perfect start to the chase, they kept losing wickets regularly and that hurt them. Kieron Pollard’s heroics weren’t enough for the day as MI fell agonisingly short.
Here are 5 things that went wrong for Mumbai Indians:
#1 Failing to make early inroads
On a flat surface such as Wankhede, against a team that heavily depend on their batting, MI’s failure to get early wickets was a blow. And probably the main reason why they lost this game.
MI bowlers didn’t have any answer to the onslaught from the opening duo of Punjab.
While they couldn’t get wickets, MI kept leaking runs as well. The power play set the stage perfectly for Glenn Maxwell to go and express himself. And once the Punjab skipper got going there was no stopping him.