IPL 2021 | Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians: What Experts said as Punjab return to winning ways

Punjab Kings stormed their way back into the 14th edition of IPL after thrashing defending champions Mumbai Indians by 9 wickets in the 17th match of the competition. A thoroughly professional performance by KL Rahul and co. ensured that the target of 132 was chased down with more than two overs left. Captain Rahul batted through the innings and helped Punjab Kings chase the target down chipping in with crucial partnerships with opening partner Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle. 

A target of 132 could have become tricky had Punjab lost early wickets but both Rahul and Agarwal ensured that an opening partnership of 53 runs set the tone for the run-chase. Agarwal looked in his prolific best while Rahul was more of an accumulator as he has been in the last two years. Rahul Chahar who has been the lynchpin of the MI bowling attack in the tournament so far did his reputation no harm when he bagged the wicket of Mayank Agarwal by enticing him to a false shot down long-on. 

Some brilliant bowling by Rahul Chahar and Jayant Yadav in the middle overs put some pressure on Rahul and Gayle. While both ticked along the scorers, the required run rate slowly crept up. Required rate of 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium at any point of the run-chase is not easy and it could have become difficult for Punjab. 

However, Gayle took Jayant Yadav to the cleaners in a span of two overs which got Punjab within touching distance of the victory target. Trent Boult’s 18th over proved to be the final nail in the coffin as he was smashed for 17 runs in 4 balls as Punjab won the match with 14 deliveries left. Rahul Chahar was the pick of the bowlers while Jayant Yadav also chipped in with a useful spell. 

It was Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul who won the toss and opted to field. Mumbai Indians played with a different approach right from the word go. Analysing the situation they thought biding by their time in the powerplay which worked wonders for the Punjab Kings. Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan’s dismissal brought in Suryakumar Yadav to the crease. Why SKY was not sent at No 3 which has the position where he has churned out runs for fun only the team management knows. 

It was Rohit Sharma who stitched together a valuable partnership of 79 runs which laid the foundation for a 150+ score but quick wickets of both the batsmen never allowed guys like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to press on the accelerator. Some fantastic death bowling by Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami didn’t allow MI to get anywhere close to the 150-mark. Eventually, a target of 132 proved to be a cakewalk for the Punjab Kings. 

Captain’s Viewpoints 

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma lamented the fact they didn’t put up enough runs on the board but lauded Punjab Kings for chasing the target down with more than two overs to spare. He further added that a score of 150 160 always keeps you in the game but a score of 131 is never enough. Despite trying so hard, the pitch wasn’t easy for stroke-making and the MI top-order barring Rohit Sharma never looked comfortable. 

“Not enough runs, exactly. I still feel it's not a bad wicket to bat on. You can see how Kings won with nine wickets in hand. If you get 150-160 you're always in the game and that is something we've failed in the last two games, we need to look at that. We can look at it either way - their bowlers bowled very well in that powerplay. Ishan was tyring to hit but couldn't get it, even myself. We were trying but the wicket wasn’t easy,” Rohit Sharma said. 

Mumbai Indians have batted well in the powerplay in the tournament but today that wasn’t the case. They never really got going and lost the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan. He backed the decision to send in Ishan Kishan ahead of Suryakumar Yadav saying it was a tactical thing. He also added that the decision was taken by the entire team management. 

“In the last four games we really batted well in the powerplay but today we failed to do so. We're missing batting all 20 overs the way we want to. Something we need to look at. Ishan at 3 was just a tactical thing, we wanted someone to bat in the middle who plays well against spin and we identified Surya as that player." Rohit added.

"When it works it looks good, when it doesn't it looks bad. There's no one person who makes a decision, it's the entire unit. We just need to understand how you need to bat and bowl when the conditions are tough,” Rohit Sharma said. 

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul lauded the young team for a resounding victory with their back being against the wall. He further added that they have always added new names every year and this year guys like Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda and today Ravi Bishnoi is utilising the chances to the fullest. 

“We don't wanna get too ahead of ourselves, we're slowly coming together as a team. I said this after the first game as well, we're a young team. We add new names every year and we've to be patient. Hooda has been playing really well, Shahrukh's taken his opportunities, and Bishnoi today,” Rahul said. 

Meanwhile, Rahul felt that the pitch was a sticky one and had a chat with the head coach before choosing to chase. He also opined that the bowlers needed to bowl in favourable conditions which was the case when Punjab was bowling. Mumbai Indians middle order never looked comfortable and was pushed to the backfoot by the Punjab bowlers. 

“Me and coach did have a long chat about batting second, I felt that the wicket was sticky and the first few games we've batted and felt that the bowlers were always under pressure. I felt it was important that bowlers get to bowl in those conditions and we heard that there was a lot of dew. So I felt like it can ease up and come on better - that didn't happen, but we knew what to chase and that helped,” Rahul said. 

"The dry ball did play a big part, it just started ripping. When that happens it gets really hard to even get singles. But it was good of Chris, he figured out who to target, that's the benefit of having someone like him. Ravi's been working real hard with Anil bhai, there were a few things he had to correct, and he's worked really hard and he's held his composure against a solid batting line-up,” Rahul added. 

Experts’ Opinion 

One of the renowned voices of cricket, Harsha Bhogle lauded Kl Rahul and Chris Gayle for a wonderful partnership. He felt that Rahul played perfectly today and according to the situation and the innings from Gayle was a bit of a gem which didn’t allow MI to claw their way back into the game. 

He also felt that Hardik Pandya not bowling is making things difficult for the defending champions. Harsha is of the opinion that MI have to change their tactics if Hardik is playing in the XI as a pure batsman. There was also an incident of possible Mankading and in reference to that context, Bhogle said people should now stop terming that as “Mankad” and call that a perfectly legitimate run-out. 

Meanwhile, the Cricviz Analyst like each match day gave out some interesting stats about the game. Before the game, Punjab Kings had a very lesser percentage of chances of winning. However, they have set their record straight with a resounding victory by 9 wickets. 

Popular journalist Vikrant Gupta criticised the Mumbai Indians by saying that one cannot hope to win big matches with four to five batsmen woefully out of touch. He also mentioned the fact that MI’s highest score in the last 5 matches has been 158. 

Meanwhile, Boria Majumdar congratulated the Punjab Kings for controlling the run-chase pretty well. He also lamented the fact that MI’s batting has been sub-par in the tournament so far but it can happen. He also commented that how spinners like Rahul Chahar and Jayant Yadav will be important for Mumbai’s chances in the match when KL Rahul and Chris Gayle started the partnership. 

Ayaz Menon believes that the Punjab Kings victory has opened up the tournament quite a bit given Punjab had lost their last three matches. He lauded Ravi Bishnoi for bowling a brilliant spell and those two wickets proved to be crucial. Just like Harsha Bhogle he also asked MI to ponder upon the changes especially when Hardik Pandya is not bowling. 

While this victory will be a huge confidence booster for the Punjab Kings, the defending champions need to sort out their problems. They are a world-class outfit with several big names in their ranks but the game is not played on paper and that is where the defending champions have been found out in the tournament so far. 

KL Rahul will finally breathe a sigh of relief after managing to carry his bat through the run-chase. His strike rate has been questioned quite often and he needs to get certain things right before Punjab Kings can become a substantial contender for the playoffs spot.