Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings produced an exciting game of cricket that was another high-scoring affair in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League. It was a record-breaking match that saw two teams go after each other and produce a nail-biting contest.
It started with Rohit Sharma winning the toss and putting Punjab to bat first. Despite some debacles early on, PBKS went on to score a mammoth total. It was an unbelievable partnership for the third wicket between Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone. Both added an unbeaten 119 runs for the third wicket.
As a result, PBKS posted an identical score of 214 as they did in their last meeting with MI earlier this season. It was the first time that a team scored 200 or more in four consecutive games. Jitesh played a brilliant cameo of 49 off 27, while Livingstone scored 82 not out with seven fours and four maximums at a strike rate of 195.24.
The chase didn’t go well for the five-time champion. Rohit registered his 15th IPL duck and got dismissed in the very first over. Cameron Green (23) and Ishan Kishan added a 54-run second-wicket partnership. Green’s wicket brought Suryakumar Yadav to the crease.
That was the turning point in the game. Surya and Ishan added a staggering partnership for the third wicket of 116 runs. That partnership pushed MI on the top, and Mumbai Indians made 216/4 in 18.5 overs to win by six wickets.
Ishan scored a 41-ball 71 and was adjudged “Man of the Match” for his inning. Meanwhile, Suryakumar scored a 22-ball fifty and made 66 off 31 at a strike rate of 212.90. With this win, Mumbai Indians became the first team to score 200 or more in consecutive games. No other teams have chased 200 totals in back-to-back matches.
In the previous game, Mumbai beat Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, chasing the target of 212 runs. MI made 214/4 with an unbeaten cameo from Tim David (45 off 14). These two wins will surely give the five-time champion great confidence moving ahead. They have jumped to sixth place with 10 points.
