IPL 9 Match 43 Review: Bowlers topple MI to help KXIP register an easy win

Kings XI Punjab kept their flickering hopes of making it to the playoff alive after they registered a comprehensive win over the struggling Mumbai Indians side at Vishakhapatnam. After upsetting Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils, KXIP continued to stun their oppositions.

Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first turned out to be a bad one for the side as KXIP bowlers completely rattled the MI outfit. The Kings XI Punjab bowling attack led by Marcus Stoinis (4/15) rolled over the MI batting line-up completely and restricted the Mumbai franchise for 124/9 after 20 overs. In reply, KXIP, guided by half-centuries from Murali Vijay (54 from 52 balls) and Wriddhiman Saha (56 from 40 balls), chased down the target without much hesitation in 17 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

It was a terrible batting display from MI. The misery began when Unmukt Chand, who was playing his first IPl game this season, was dismissed for a duck. Ambati Rayudu had a rare off day and followed him for a duck. The highly effective pair of Sharmas – Mohit and Sandeep continued their great run and gave their a perfect start to their team once again. The runs dried up early for the batting side as the scoreboard read a sorry 21/2 after the end of the first powerplay. Rohit Sharma and Nitish Rana were having a tough time getting the run rate up.

The next couple of over after the powerplay saw the batting pair flexing their muscles a bit. But, left arm spinner Axar Patel then got better of skipper Sharma (15 from 24 balls) to land another blow to the MI side. Marcus Stoinis then entered and snapped Nitish Rana and Jos Buttler in quick successions. Kieron Pollard (27 from 20 balls) and Krunal Pandya (19 from 12 balls) showed some resistance in the middle order. The duo put together 42 runs for the 6th wicket to help the MI scoreboard.

However, both were not given any opportunity to flourish as Stoinis yet again jolted the opposition, dismissing Pollard and Pandya off back to back deliveries in the 17th over. Harbhajan Singh (14 from 10 balls) then kept tonking the ball till the end of the stipulated number of overs to take MI to 124/9.

Kings XI Punjab, in reply, had completed the chase very smoothly. After losing Hashim Amla early, Murali Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha forged an 116 run stand for the 2nd wicket to enable their team to get past the winning target without any hassle. It was a calm and poised display of batting between both the batsmen.

Both understood the situation and avoided taking any unnecessary risks but kept the run rate healthy with timely hits to the fence. The pair gradually accelerated as they reached closer to the win, But, unfortunately, the pair of was separated in the 16th over by McClenaghan. There was another minor hiccup after McClenaghan snapped Maxwell off the very next delivery. But, there was no further delay as the target was overhauled by the end of next over.

Brief Scores:

Mumbai Indians: 124/9 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard 27; Marcus Stoinis 4/15)

Kings XI Punjab: 127/3 in 17 overs (Wriddhiman Saha 56; Mitchell McClenaghan 2/24)

Man of the Match: Marcus Stoinis