IPL 2021: PBKS vs MI - Who won yesterday’s match?
Punjab Kings (PBKS) came up with a much-needed all-round effort against Mumbai Indians (MI) to clinch a facile nine-wicket victory in Game 17 of IPL 2021.
After Mohammed Shami (2/21) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/21) played key roles in restricting MI to 131 for 6 in Chennai, PBKS captain KL Rahul (60 not out off 52) and Chris Gayle (43 not out off 35) guided the team to an impressive win, featuring in an unbroken 79-run stand for the second wicket.
Chasing a modest target, PBKS got off to a confident start, as their openers, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal scored 45 runs at the end of the powerplay overs.
The second over of the PBKS chase bowled by Krunal Pandya went for 15, as Rahul and Agarwal upped the ante. After Rahul cracked consecutive fours off short balls, Agarwal ended the over with a lofted cover drive for six.
KL Rahul then pulled Jasprit Bumrah over fine-leg for another maximum. Agarwal proceeded to find two boundaries off Trent Boult - one via a misfield and the other off a high full toss, which was also a no-ball.
With the MI pacers failing to make an impact on the marauding PBKS openers, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar struck. He had Agarwal caught at long-on for 25 when the batsman miscued a lofted shot.
MI kept the pressure on PBKS by bowling some tight overs after Agarwal’s dismissal. Chahar conceded only 19 runs in his four overs.
Chris Gayle, though, broke the shackles in the 13th over by picking back-to-back boundaries off Jayant Yadav. The first one was delicately guided behind the stumps, to the right of fine-leg; the second was hammered in the gap between deep midwicket and long-on.
When Kieron Pollard was introduced to the attack, Rahul guided a length ball on middle stump over fine-leg for a maximum. With Rohit Sharma continuing with Yadav, Gayle enjoyed himself, lofting a ‘hit me’ length ball over long-on for another six. The spinner recovered to beat Gayle’s defence thrice, but luck was not on his side.
After the PBKS captain brought up his fifty with a top edge off Jasprit Bumrah, Gayle and Rahul brought a quick end to the match, smashing Trent Boult for two sixes and a four in the 18th over.
The first ball was crashed over square leg for a maximum by Gayle. Rahul then dispatched a full toss over long-on for another six, ending the game by squeezing a yorker fine of third man for four.
PBKS restrict MI to 131 for 6 despite Rohit Sharma’s 63
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma displayed his class on a tough Chennai strip, compiling a hard-fought 63 off 52 balls. However, Mohammed Shami (2/21) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/21) exploited the conditions well to restrict MI to 131 for 6.
Electing to field first after winning the toss, PBKS tasted immediate success, as off-spinner Deepak Hooda, bowling the second over of the match, sent back Quinton de Kock for 3. The left-hander dragged a length delivery to mid-on, as the ball did not come on to the bat.
MI, surprisingly, promoted Ishan Kishan ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. But the left-hander found the going tough, and MI crawled to 21 for 1 at the end of the powerplay overs. Kishan’s misery ended when he edged an attempted cut off Bishnoi into the gloves of KL Rahul. For the record, Kishan contributed only six off 17.
With the runs drying up, Rohit Sharma steered Fabian Allen past backward point for consecutive boundaries. In the left-arm spinner’s next over, the MI captain deposited a full toss wide of long-on for six as the innings started gaining some momentum.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav came in and played his trademark strokes, including an inside-out shot carved over extra cover for a maximum off Arshdeep Singh. At the other end, Rohit Sharma brought up a patient fifty by slashing Bishnoi past backward point.
After 16 overs, MI had recovered to 105 for 2. Off the first ball of the 17th, though, Yadav (33 off 27) perished to Bishnoi, top-edging a reverse sweep, as the ball bounced a little more than expected. Shami then dealt MI another big blow, having Rohit Sharma caught in the deep off a low full toss.
The struggles for the Pandya brothers continued, as the duo fell cheaply again. However, Kieron Pollard managed a six off Arshdeep Singh and remained unbeaten on 16 off 12 as MI huffed and puffed past 130.
IPL 2021: PBKS vs MI - Man of the Match
Rohit Sharma led from the front for MI with the bat. On a pitch where most other batsmen struggled, Sharma stood out with a defiant 52-ball 63, hitting five fours and two sixes in his impressive knock.
Mohammed Shami bowled a very good spell for PBKS to finish with figures of 2 for 21. He got the big scalps of Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi also made a massive impact, ending with identical figures as that of Shami. Bishnoi sent back Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to put PBKS on top.
With the bat, KL Rahul led from the front with an unbeaten 60 off 52 balls. Chris Gayle also impressed, finishing unbeaten on 43 off 35 balls. Eventually, it was the PBKS captain Rahul who was named the Man of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten knock.