IMAGES: Mumbai Indians versus Kings XI Punjab, Wankhede Stadium, May 16, 2018.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah snapped up three crucial wickets to help defending champions Mumbai Indians keep their play-off hopes alive by notching up a thrilling 3 run win over the Kings XI Punjab in a crucial Indian Premier League game at the Wankhede Stadium, May 16, 2018.
Mumbai set the visiting team a stiff 187 to chase and then restricted the Kings XI to 183/5 to register their 6th win in 13 games and boost their points tally to 12 with one game to play.
Mumbai -- laggards throughout IPL- 11 -- have now jumped to the 4th spot in the points table.
Bumrah turned in a match-winning bowling performance with brilliant figures of 3/15, which included the crucial wicket of the in-form opener K L Rahul (94 off 60 balls) in the penultimate over, when the game was on a knife edge with the Kings XI needing 20 off 9 balls.
Rahul was caught at long off by Ben Cutting.
Rahul batted brilliantly, striking 10 fours and 3 sixes. His wicket effectively derailed Punjab's chase with the other batsmen unable to take the visitors home.
The defeat left Punjab also on 12 points with one game to go.
The game was at a crucial stage with Kings XI needing to score 60 runs off 30 balls.
Leggie Mayank Markande conceded 18 runs with Rahul striking back-to-back sixes to give the Kings XI momentum.
Bumrah wrested back the initiative by having Aaron Finch caught by Hardik Pandya off the first ball of his second spell.
Finch's dismissal ended his crucial 111 run second wicket partnership with Rahul to bring Mumbai back into the game.
In the same over, Bumrah had Marcus Stonis (1) snapped up by Ishan Rana, to further fortify Mumbai's position as the visitors needed 38 runs from 18 balls.
Rahul hit 3 consecutive fours off Ben Cutting in the 18th over to bring down the equation to 23 runs from 12 balls.
But he was dismissed in the 19th over by Bumrah.
Kieron Pollard struck a blistering 50 to rescue the Mumbai Indians from a mid-innings slump and help his side post a formidable 186/8.
MI got off to a flying start, scoring 57/1 after 5 overs. Then, the home side lost 3 wickets in quick succession, including two off successive balls, to the pace bowling of Andrew Tye (4/16) before Pollard (50 off 23 balls) and Krunal Pandya (32 off 23 balls) resurrected the stuttering Mumbai innings.
Before this 50, Pollard had scored a paltry 83 runs from 8 matches. His 65 run stand with Krunal in 36 balls steered Mumbai out of trouble after they slumped to 71/4.
Tye wrecked havoc on Mumbai's top and middle order. His victims included Evin Lewis (9), Ishan Kishan (20) and Suryakumar Yadav (27).
After a cautious start, Krunal stuck two consecutive sixes and a four in the 12th over off Stonis, while Pollard followed it up with two sixes and as many fours in the next two overs.
Just when they were looking good, Krunal threw his wicket away. But that did not stop Pollard who raced to his 50 with 5 fours and 3 sixes.
Ravichandran Ashwin (2/18) Pollar caught by Finch, bringing Punjab back into the game. Hardik (9) and Cutting (4) too fell cheaply.
Earlier, Yadav and Lewis posted 37 runs for the first wicket before Tye cleaned up Lewis. Kishan's stay at the crease was also cut short by Tye, who stuck in his second over.
On the very next delivery, Tye had Yadav (27) caught by Rahul as Mumbai slumped to 59/3.
Skipper Rohit Sharma's poor run (6) continued.
The two floodlights at the Wankhede went off after the 10th over and play was halted for about 12 minutes.
