IPL 2018, KXIP vs MI: 5 reasons why Punjab lost

In the first encounter this year at Indore, Kings XI Punjab were hosting Mumbai Indians on a batting friendly wicket.

Put into bat, the home team saw a sluggish start from the openers who failed to take the advantage of the first six overs. However, some power hitting from Karun Nair and Marcus Stoinis late in the innings, saw Kings XI post a tricky 174 in their quota of 20 overs.

Chasing 175, Mumbai needed a brisk start at the top but the men in blue succumbed under pressure as they failed to up the ante in the first six overs. However, it was always that one partnership that could have propelled the flurry of runs for Mumbai.

The same happened when Krunal Pandya stroked few biggies to allow Mumbai live yet another day in this IPL as they cruised to victory by 6 wickets.

Here are some of the reasons that brought about a Punjab loss:

#1 Kings XI were 10-15 runs short on the board

It was a ground where even scores in excess of 200 are chased with ease. On such a track, the home team failed to post a challenging total. In their 20 overs, they somehow managed to reach 174 courtesy that last over blitz that helped them reach the eventual total.

This proved to be the difference between the two sides as the home team looked 10-15 runs short at the end. The bowlers tried every possible bit to defend the score but needed a better cushion of runs on a ground where shot-making is a walk in the park.