PBKS crush them by seven wickets; de Kock’s ton in vain
Mumbai: Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer struck fluent fifties as Punjab Kings continued their winning run with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Thursday.
Chasing 196, Punjab overhauled the target with ease, reaching 198/3 in just 16.3 overs, courtesy a dominant 139-run third-wicket partnership between Prabhsimran (80 not out off 39 balls) and skipper Iyer (66 off 35).
Punjab set the tone early, plundering 21 runs off the opening over, and never allowed Mumbai’s bowlers to settle. The hosts’ attack lacked penetration, with AM Ghazanfar (2/31) the only bowler to make an impact.
Earlier, Quinton de Kock produced a brilliant unbeaten 112 off 60 balls, while Naman Dhir chipped in with a 50 as Mumbai recovered from a shaky 15/2 to post 195/6. The duo added 132 runs for the third wicket to revive the innings.
However, the total proved insufficient on a flat surface as Punjab batters dominated proceedings. Arshdeep Singh (3/22) had earlier struck key blows to dent Mumbai’s top order.
Mumbai’s woes were compounded by a dropped catch of Prabhsimran early in the chase, which proved costly as the opener capitalised fully to guide Punjab home with 21 balls to spare.
The defeat marked Mumbai Indians’ fourth successive loss in the tournament.
