Brilliant half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh and skipper Shreyas Iyer helped Punjab Kings (PBKS) continue their unbeaten run, beating Mumbai Indians (MI) by seven wickets at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
With this win, PBKS moved to the top of the table with four wins and a no result, taking their tally to nine points and displacing defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. MI remained ninth with one win and four losses.
Chasing 196, PBKS got off to a flying start. Prabhsimran Singh struck two boundaries off Deepak Chahar, while Priyansh Arya added a six and a four in a 21-run opening over. Arya made 15 off nine balls before being dismissed, leaving PBKS at 27/1 in 2.2 overs.
Cooper Connolly contributed 17 off 12 balls but fell to Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar, reducing PBKS to 45/2 in 4.3 overs. Skipper Shreyas Iyer then joined Prabhsimran and immediately got going with a boundary off his first delivery, taking PBKS past 50 in under five overs.
The pair kept the momentum through the powerplay, reaching 61/2 in six overs. Prabhsimran continued attacking, bringing up the 100 in 9.5 overs. At the halfway stage, PBKS were 100/2, with Prabhsimran on 44 and Iyer on 21.
Shardul Thakur’s second over proved expensive, conceding 18 runs, including two fours from Prabhsimran and a six from Iyer. Prabhsimran reached his fifty in 23 balls, while Iyer maintained the tempo against spin and pace alike.
The duo added 100 runs for the third wicket in just 51 balls. Iyer brought up his third successive fifty in 31 balls, continuing his consistent run in the tournament. He later struck two sixes in the 16th over before falling for 66 off 35 balls, with PBKS at 184/3 in 15.3 overs.
PBKS completed the chase in 16.3 overs, finishing at 198/3. Prabhsimran remained unbeaten on 80 off 39 balls, while Marcus Stoinis stayed not out on 10.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians posted 195/6 after being put in to bat. Quinton de Kock led the charge with an unbeaten 112 off 60 balls, supported by Naman Dhir’s 50 off 31 balls. The duo added 122 runs for the third wicket after MI had slipped to 12/2 early in the innings following Arshdeep Singh’s double strike that removed Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav.
Dhir accelerated during the powerplay and reached his maiden IPL fifty in 29 balls. De Kock continued his aggressive approach, reaching his half-century in 28 balls and later completing his third IPL hundred with seven fours and three sixes.
After Dhir’s dismissal at 134/3 in 13.4 overs, de Kock carried on, but wickets fell at the other end. Hardik Pandya scored 14 before being dismissed, while Sherfane Rutherford and Tilak Varma fell late in the innings. MI finished at 195/6.
Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler for PBKS with figures of 3/22, while Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen picked up a wicket each. For MI, Ghazanfar was the most effective bowler with 2/32.
Despite de Kock’s century, PBKS’s aggressive chase ensured a comfortable win and extended their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Brief Scores:
MI: 195/6 (Quinton de Kock 112*, Naman Dhir 50; Arshdeep Singh 3/22)
PBKS: 198/3 in 16.3 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 80*, Shreyas Iyer 66; AM Ghazanfar 2/32)
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