IPL 2021: [Watch]- Mumbai Indians confer dressing room 'Player of the Match' awards after a 6-wicket win over PBKS
Defending champions Mumbai Indians finally got off the mark in their UAE leg with a win against Punjab Kings at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday night.
It was a collective team effort and the five-time champions celebrated it by adjudging five different cricketers for the dressing room's "Player of the Match" award.
Watch the video here-
Left-handed batsman Saurabh Tiwary, all-round duo of Hardik and Krunal Pandya, Australian pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile and pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were conferred with the award for their brilliant display against Punjab.
Fielding coach Robin Singh and the Director of Cricket Zaheer Khan provided respected badges to Tiwary and Coulter-Nile. Head coach Mahela Jayawardene, bowling coach Shane Bond and mentor Sachin Tendulkar did the honors for Krunal, Hardik and Bumrah respectively amid massive applause from the rest of the contingent.
This is Mumbaiβs first win after three successive defeats against Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore. With this win, the Rohit Sharma-led unit has kept their hopes alive of making it to the playoffs.
All-round Mumbai get their campaign back on track against Punjab
In the video, southpaw Tiwary acknowledged the importance of the victory, stating that the win came at the right time for the defending champions as it will help them gain momentum with the tournament nearing its business end.
Tiwary played a stellar role in ensuring that Mumbai knocked off target 136 despite having lost two quick wickets in the form of skipper Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav.
The veteran middle-order batsman soaked up the pressure really well and scored a 37-ball 45 to set up the platform for a final launch by the likes of Hardik and Pollard.
Tiwary said:
ββThis is our first win in the UAE. And this was important to gain momentum.β
Hardik chipped in with an unbeaten 30-ball 40 while Pollard stroked a couple of lusty blows to seal the deal for his team. Pollard also claimed two crucial wickets in the form of Rahul and Chris Gayle and was adjudged 'Player of the Matchβ.
Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was brought in as a replacement for Adam Milne, did not take a wicket but bowled four economical overs for just 19 runs. Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, provided Mumbai with the first breakthrough in the form of Mandeep Singh and finished with figures of 1/24 in four overs. Bumrah, meanwhile, claimed two wickets for just 24 runs in his quota.