Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer hit fluent half-centuries as Punjab Kings extended their winning streak with a seven-wicket thrashing of Mumbai Indians, who slumped to a fourth straight loss in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Despite a superb 112 not out from Quinton de Kock and a 50 from Naman Dhir, who rescued the Mumbai Indians with a solid 132-run third-wicket partnership, the hosts’ 195/6 never looked enough on a placid pitch against an in-form Punjab batting line-up.
Prabhsimran capitalised on a straightforward early drop to punish a wicketless Jasprit Bumrah (0/41) and MI, blazing an unbeaten 80 off 31 balls (11x4s, 2x6s). Skipper Iyer was also in full flow, registering his third consecutive fifty with
a 66 off 35 balls (5x4s, 4x6s), as the pair added a commanding 139 for the third wicket.
Chasing 196, PBKS cruised home with 21 balls to spare, finishing on 198/3, as the MI attack once again misfired collectively, with AM Ghazanfar’s 2/31 the only noteworthy spell.
Punjab flew out of the blocks, taking 21 runs off the opening over from Deepak Chahar to immediately put MI under pressure.
A key moment came in the third over when Bumrah, stationed at short third, grassed a routine chance off Hardik Pandya with Prabhsimran on 11.
Ghazanfar removed Priyansh Arya (15) and Cooper Connolly (17) to provide Mumbai two much-needed wickets in the powerplay, but the home side failed to build on those strikes.
Prabhsimran showcased his full range of strokes, peppering the boundary, while Iyer enjoyed batting on his home turf at the Wankhede Stadium, comfortably putting away anything loose.
Their 139-run partnership came in just 67 balls as Prabhsimran and Iyer overshadowed the first-innings efforts of de Kock and Dhir.
In the 16th over, Iyer’s powerful pull burst through Dhir’s hands for six, and the Punjab captain then launched the next ball from Shardul Thakur into the stands. But a flick off his pads in the air soon after gave Dhir another opportunity, which he seized with a fine diving catch in front.
Earlier, a blistering hundred from Quinton de Kock (112 not out) and a determined 50 from Naman Dhir hauled MI out of early trouble and carried them to a below-par 195/6.
Having been confined to the bench until now, de Kock came in for Rohit Sharma and struck his third IPL century, sparking an inspiring recovery for a struggling Mumbai side that had slumped to 15/2 in 3 overs.
The experienced Protea left-hander was at his best in his unbeaten 60-ball 112 (8x4s, 7x6s) and his first IPL ton since 2022, muscling the ball powerfully to the leg-side and threading boundaries on the off with precision and superb timing.
Arshdeep Singh (3/22) found sharp swing and hit perfect lengths to remove two crucial wickets early, adding a third later in the innings.
After repeatedly beating Ryan Rickelton (2) with away movement, Arshdeep had the South African caught at deep square leg with a shortish delivery. He then completely outdid India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav (0), tempting him outside off first ball and using the swing to find a thick edge to short third.
With Suryakumar dismissed and Tilak Varma (8) struggling, MI gambled by sending Dhir at No. 4, and the right-hander justified the move with a brave innings.
Dhir enjoyed some fortune on 10 when Yuzvendra Chahal dropped a sitter at short fine-leg off Marco Jansen in the fifth over. He had another slice of luck in the following over when a risky single did not result in de Kock being run out at the non-striker’s end, as Shreyas Iyer missed the direct hit.
De Kock and Dhir added 132 off 68 balls in a strong third-wicket stand that not only revived MI but also set up a platform for a big total, which the hosts ultimately failed to achieve.
With a dominant bottom-hand game, Dhir hit three sixes and three fours, playing the ideal supporting role to de Kock.
In the 18th over, Iyer celebrated with arms outstretched after completing a spectacular catch off Hardik Pandya (14), leaping over the boundary at long-on and tossing the ball back to Xavier Bartlett for a brilliantly executed dismissal.
(With PTI Inputs)
