Kings XI Punjab still in playoff contention after thrilling 7-run win against Mumbai Indians

Kings XI Punjab kept their hopes of a spot in the playoffs with a heart-stopping seven-run win against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday .

453 runs were scored in the match, which ebbed and flowed magnificently in the last few overs of the game. Mohit Sharma’s nerveless display in the final over of the game handed his side the match when it seemed like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya’s effortless big-hitting had turned the tide in Mumbai’s favour. Had the home side chased the total town, it would have been the highest in the Indian Premier League’s history.

Wriddiman Saha shook a wretched run of form to anchor the KXIP innings with a timely unbeaten 93 from 55 balls, taking his team to a mammoth 230/3. Glenn Maxwell (47 from 21) and Martin Guptill (36 from 17) were also instrumental in taking their side over the 200-run mark.

The total didn’t deter the indefatigable Mumbai side, who were in the chase from the onset after Lendl Simmons set the tone with a cracking half-century. The margin of error was small and it was Mohit Sharma’s heroics in the last four balls that kept KXIP still in the hunt.

Saha’s redemption

Saha just had 128 runs from the 12 matches he had featured in so far. Being tossed and thrown around the batting order, his fine showing during the Test series seemed like a distant memory as he struggled to get a knock of note during this tournament. What triggered Saha’s free-flowing innings? Was it because of the pitch, which was an absolute death-knell for bowlers? Was it because he was sent back to open, which allowed to him adjust the tempo of the innings from the start?

With a large part of the big hitting shouldered by Martin Guptill, Shaun Marsh and Maxwell, Saha took calculated risks, which paid off from the start. The 32-year-old was severe on the off-side, piercing the gaps at will during the powerplay overs, where he brought up five boundaries.

Punjab’s blistering start

In KXIP’s last two games – against Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders – they had got off to slow starts in the powerplay. Martin Guptill set the tone with a thrill-a-minute 36 from 15 balls, belting new-ball bowlers Hardik Pandya and New Zealand teammate Mitchell McClenaghan out of the park.

Saha, whose form has deserted him for much of the tournament was also among the runs, flicking and cutting with aplomb. Guptill was severe on Lasith Malinga, who was off-colour once again. KXIP smashed 60 runs from their first five, and that was only the beginning of their bowling woes.

Mad Maxi

Against KKR, the KXIP skipper targeted Kuldeep Yadav in the final overs. It was the slow bowlers who went on a leather hunt at the Wankhede too. Karn Sharma’s leg-spinners were swatted over the cover and long-off boundary with utmost disdain.

Harbhajan Singh, so often his team’s most economical bowler, had a horror showing. The veteran off-spinner’s first two balls were clubbed for sixes and he never recovered from there. Saha and Shaun Marsh also went after Harbhajan, who ended up with sorry figures of 45 runs from the three overs he bowled, and was belted for five sixes. Maxwell’s off-spin also proved to be decisive, giving away just eight runs in the two overs he bowled and picking up the crucial wicket of Simmons.

Anything you can do, Punjab

As Mumbai were talking the long walk back, Rohit Sharma was spotted giving a team talk near the boundary ropes. The Mumbai skipper was unusually animated, possibly instilling belief in his teammates that they have pulled off miracles before.

His team responded: Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel punished the wayward Punjab pacers, hammering them for plenty during the powerplay overs. They came with a clear plan to go about with their task, and targeted the region on either side of the keeper for runs – the Simmons-Parthiv Patel partnership, who accounted for a belligerent 99-run opening stand, got seven boundaries between them there.

It was Simmons who set the tone, flicking and driving with utmost ease. He also generated a lot of power in his shots while trying to land one over the ropes.

Guptill’s safe hands

After going almost everything right on the field during their win against KKR, Punjab’s notorious sloppiness on the field returned. Mohit Sharma dropped a dolly from Simmons at long-off while Ishant Sharma failed to grasp the ball and dislodge the bails in what was a straightforward run out chance.

That didn’t deter Guptill, though. He pulled off a one-handed blinder at long-on to send Simmons back. The Kiwi’s safe hands was the reason behind Nitish Rana and Rohit Sharma making the walk back to the pavilion too. Punjab’s failure to hold on to catches also caught on with skipper Maxwell, who is one of the best fielders in the business. The Australian, at a crucial stage, parried the ball over the ropes from long-off, which proved to be a decisive moment in the game.

Brief score:

• Kings XI Punjab 230/3 in 20 Overs (Wriddhiman Saha 93 not out, Glenn Maxwell 47; Jasprit Bumrah 1/24, Karn Sharma 1/32) beat Mumbai Indians 223/6 in 20 Overs (Lendl Simmons 59, Keiron Pollard 50; Mohit Sharma 2/57) by 7 runs.