IPL5: Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab – Match Recap
Ambati Rayudu and Robin Peterson kept their nerves in the final stages of Mumbai Indians' chase to see the side home on the penultimate ball of the match against Kings XI Punjab, played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, Mohali on Wednesday,
April 25, 2012.
Chasing a respectable total of 168, Mumbai Indians needed 32 runs off the final two overs with Rayudu and Pietersen at the crease. The duo looted Kings XI spinner Piyush Chawla for three sixes and two fours in the 19th over, which went for 27.
Peterson struck two fours and a six off Chawla before rotating the strike with a single. Rayudu plundered two lofty sixes off the final two deliveries of Chawla’s penultimate over to leave the side needing five runs from the final over.
The Andhra Pradesh right-handed batsman, who was later adjudged as the Man of the Match, then smacked a four off Azhar Mahmood to finish off the match with four wickets and one ball to spare.
Earlier Kings XI Punjab’s stand-in captain, David Hussey, won the toss and opted to bat first. But the KXIP top order failed to back Hussey’s decision to bat as the hosts could post only 79 runs on the board from 13 overs, at the cost of three wickets. Mandeep
Singh became the first scalp of the day after he nicked RP Singh to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps on 22. Mandeep was soon followed back by opening partner Nitin Saini, who was caught by Munaf Patel at fine-leg off Clint McKay. The wicketkeeper batsman faced
22 balls to score 17 runs.
Once Shaun Marsh was out in the 13th over, caught by Harbhajan Singh off James Franklin, while trying to loft it over the off side, stand-in skipper, David Hussey and David Miller took the responsibility and upped the score. The belligerent duo
shared an 89-run fourth-wicket partnership, which came in only 43 balls. In the last 30 balls, Punjab added 68 runs with Miller scoring 34 runs in just 17 deliveries to take the side to a competitive total of 168 for 3. Hussey returned unbeaten on a 40-ball
68, laced with four lofty sixes and an equal number of fours.
Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel proved costly, as did overseas pace bowler Kieron Pollard, all conceding runs at economy rates of over nine.
In reply, Sachin Tendulkar and James Franklin provided the Mumbai Indians a solid start with a half century opening stand, before Franklin holed out in the eighth over, having edged Azhar Mahmood to Saini. Mahmood struck back the next over to remove Tendulkar,
leaving the tourists 59 for 2. The sedate opening stand was followed by two quick wickets of Dinesh Karthik and Kieron Pollard.
However, Rahul Sharma kept the visitors in the game with a blistering 30-ball 50 before fast bowler, Parvinder Awana, dismissed him and skipper Harbhajan Singh in the 18th over in three balls to put Punjab in pole position. But Ambati Rayudu and
Robin Peterson kept their nerves and plundered 34 runs off the final two overs to snatch victory for Mumbai Indians.
Parvinder Awana claimed three wickets while Azhar Mahmood returned with 2 for 23 in a spell of 3.5 overs.