Kings XI Punjab stand-in captain David Hussey said that the run-out of Mumbai Indians stumper Dinesh Karthik to end a 75-run partnership with James Franklin turned their IPL match in their favour.
"I thought Dinesh Karthik's run out changed the game. He's a quality player and someone who I think will play a lot for India in the future. When he was going strong I thought 180 Mumbai Indians would raise 180. To restrict them to 163 from that stage was a fantastic effort from our bowlers," said Hussey after KXIP's six-wicket victory in Mumbai.
Karthik, who looked good when scoring 35 in 20 balls, was run-out while going for a second run following a misunderstanding with Franklin, who made 79 in 51 balls. The third wicket duo put on 75 runs off only 36 balls before the partnership was broken.
Hussey felt the victory, only the third from seven games for KXIP, has boosted their confidence in the tournament.
"We are sitting probably sixth or seventh on the league table. If we just keep collecting the wins here we can make it to the finals. If we stick to good basic cricket we can shock a few teams," he said.
Hussey praised the innings of from his Australian compatriot and teammate Shaun Marsh (68 not out) and hoped the left-handed batsman continued to perform as well in future matches.
"The way Shaun batted tonight, hopefully he goes from strength to strength and we continue being very consistent," said Hussey, who led KXIP in place of injured Adam Gilchrist.
Marsh slammed five fours and three sixes in his 40-ball knock and also got involved in an important stand of 58 runs for the third wicket with Hussey to pave the way for the six-wicket victory with three balls to spare.
"It was satisfying to win here. All the boys love playing here. To put a performance like that in front of the Indian and world public was just fantastic. The boys are not going to celebrate tonight knowing that a return game is due in a few days' time (at Mohali)," Hussey said.
Mumbai Indians batsman James Franklin also said that but for the run-out of Karthik in the first ball of the 16th over, the home side would have put up a bigger total than what they did.
"Karthik's run out was the turning point and also changed the momentum. We were complementing each other well," he rued.
Franklin said when he and Sachin Tendulkar, back after missing MI's last four games, were batting they thought a score of 160-plus would be competitive after seeing the Wankhede Stadium wicket.
"I thought we did not capitalise enough in the last two to three overs while batting. We were in a pretty good position. It was an unfortunate mix up with Dinesh Karthik that broke the momentum. We could have got a little more I guess," said the lanky New Zealander who scored his personal best score of 79 in the IPL.
"The way Sachin and I were batting I thought 160 was a competitive total. In hindsight, 170-180 would have been better. We were in the game except in the last three overs where Shaun Marsh batted unbelievably well and won the game. You have to give him credit for it," he said.
"The ball was not quite coming on to the bat. Sachin and I were trying to asses the conditions as much as we could. We knew if we scored 160-170, we would be in the game. Unfortunately, we ended up on the losing side," he added.
He said though MI had put up a competitive score, Shaun Marsh played a match-winning innings to dash their hopes.
"We had a total which could keep us in the game, and it did keep us in the game. But in the end it was Shaun Marsh with played unbelievably and won the game. You got to give him a lot of credit," he said.
Franklin also praised Kings XI Punjab new ball bowler Praveen Kumar for the maiden opening over in which he was beaten on five occasions.
"He (Praveen Kumar) bowled a very good first over. He was angling it well. He did not bowl too many bad balls," he said.
Conceding that the team missed Lasith Malinga, recuperating at home in Sri Lanka from a sore back, Franklin said the sling-arm pacer's injury was unfortunate.
"Malinga has been an important part of Mumbai Indians since its inception. Any team would love to have him, but his injury is unfortunate. He is bowled well. He is leading from the front. He is doing a good job. He led this team to Champions League title," he pointed out.
"It happens in cricket and we can't do anything about it and hopefully he will be back soon," he said.
