IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians topple Kings XI to take top spot

Mumbai Indians (MI) returned to winning ways after they beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 48 runs in the Match 13 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

After electing to bowl, KXIP struck in the first over as Sheldon Cottrell disturbed the timber to dismiss Quinton de Kock for 0.

While MI skipper Rohit Sharma completed 5000 IPL runs and Suryakumar Yadav hit some delightful drives, KXIP picked up their second wicket, via run-out in the 4^th over as Mohammed Shami’s direct-hit cut short Suryakumar Yadav’s innings.

MI were 21/2 after 3.5 overs when Suryakumar Yadav and following his wicket Ishan Kishan, who had scored a whirlwind 99 in MI’s last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), then joined Rohit in the middle.

Rohit pushed MI past 40 at the close of the powerplay, hitting two fours off K Gowtham’s bowling in the sixth over. KXIP though, did a fine job keeping the things tight in the next four overs as MI moved to 62/2.

Kishan then hit Ravi Bishnoi for a six as he and Rohit completed the fifty-run stand. The left-hander, in the 12^th over, got a reprieve after Bishnoi could not hold on to a catch in the deep. But Kishan could not make the most of it and got out for 28 in the 14^th over.

MI were 87/3 after 14 overs when Kishan got out and were looking to up the ante and they did so in some style, scoring 104 runs in the last six overs.

The 15^th over, bowled by Bishnoi, went for 15 runs as Rohit and Kieron Pollard hit a six each, helping MI bring up their hundred. The 16^th over went for 22 runs as Rohit targeted Jimmy Neesham, hitting 2 sixes and as many fours, to bring up his second half-century of the season.

Mohammad Shami, bowling the 17^th over, conceded just 5 runs and scalped a big wicket of Rohit, dismissing the MI skipper after scoring 70 off 45 balls.

Hardik Pandya, though, did not take any time whatsoever to launch an attack. The Indian all-rounder hit a six and two fours in the 18^th over as MI scored 18 in the over to move closer to 150.

Shami bowled the penultimate over of the innings and MI scored 19 runs off it, with Pollard hitting three fours and Hardik adding one more to his name.

MI though, kept the best for the last and K Gowtham had to bear the brunt of the onslaught as MI hammered 25 in the last over. While it was Hardik, who hit a six on the first ball of the final over, Pollard, who was coming into this game on the back of his 24-ball 60*-blitz against RCB, clobbered three sixes on the last three deliveries as MI posted 191/4 on the board.

Needing 192 runs to win, KXIP were off the blocks straightway, with Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul hitting a four each.

While Mayank looked in a fine nick as KXIP moved to 37 after the end of four overs, Jasprit Bumrah, who was introduced into the attack in the 5^th over, disturbed the timber to get Mayank out for 25.

Karun Nair was the next man to get out after he chopped a Krunal Pandya delivery back onto the stumps in the final over the powerplay.

While Nicholas Pooran went after Krunal in his next over, hitting a six and a four, MI managed to scalp a big wicket of KL Rahul after the KXIP skipper perished for 17 in the 9^th over.

Pooran and Glenn Maxwell added 41 runs together, with the left-hander doing the majority of the scoring, but the two got out in the successive overs. While Pattinson dismissed Pooran, Chahar got Maxwell out in the 14^th over. Neesham was the next man to get out as Bumrah picked his second wicket of the match.

While K Gowtham played a few shots, MI went on to seal a 48-run win to add two more points to their account. (IPL)

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