Defending a competitive score of 192 for 7, five times former champions Mumbai Indians (MI) overcame a spirited challenge from Punjab Kings (PBKS) before scripting a narrow nine runs win in the ongoing TATA IPL 2024 that was played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh on Thursday night.

MI survived a splendid late onslaught by low order batter Ashutosh Sharma, after having reduced PBKS to 14 for 4 inside the first three overs of the powerplay as Gerald Coetzee (3/32) conceded nine runs including five wide’s in his first two balls of the spell while bowling to rival stand in skipper Sam Curran deputizing for injured Shikar Dhawan.  The South African speedster however bounced back in his next ball with wicket of Prabhsimran Singh (0) following a stunning air bound catch to his left  by wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah (3/21) then made his presence felt immediately to castle new batter Riley Rossouw (0) with a spectacular full inswinger and later cut short Sam (8) after having him caught behind by Ishan innings two ball later. Coetzee foxed Liam Livingstone (1) with a slower one and caught him off his own bowling in the very next over. Shashank Singh and Harpreet Singh (13) - Impact Player brief partnership off 35 runs was ended by leg spinner Shreyas Gopal after he took a sharp catch of his own bowling to send back the latter in the seventh over. Promoted up the batting order wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma (9) was trapped leg before by Akash Madhwal (1/46) in the 10^th over. With the host precariously placed at 77 for 6 at this stage, 25 year old Ashutosh who joined his partner-in-crime Shashank Singh of the Ahmedabad heist against Gujarat Titans nearly did an encore in the next eight overs with audacious strokeplay. The duo added 34 for the eight wicket before Bumrah’s slower one got the better of Shashank (41 off 25 balls). A confident Ashutosh then single handedly carried the attack to the MI camp with spectacular helicopter pulls, reverse scoop, sweep lofted drives over the fence a he added 57 off 32 balls for the eight wicket in the company of Harpreet Brar  while registering a 23-ball maiden half-century in IPL.. His two boundaries and seven sixes had the best in the field of the likes of Hardik Pandya, Romario Shepherd and Madhwal looking for ways to stop the run machine as the host sniffed victory. With five fielders manning the leg side boundary, Ashutosh was undone by a slower one by Coetzee and holed out in the deep wicket,  leaving them 25 runs short of the target. Hardik later dismissed Harpreet (17) in the very next over again caught in the deep for the second time by reliable Mohammad Nabi after having had caught Ashutosh earlier. The lower order couldn't manage the chase, as MI  bowlers, led by the ever-reliable Bumrah, ensured their side crossed the finish line in the final over bowled by Madhwal following the run out of Kagiso Rabada (8) attempting a couple at the striker end off a throw by Nabi.  For Punjab Kings it was their fourth last over loss this season after their innings folded at 183.

 Earlier put in to bat MI struggled early on a sluggish pitch, and lost Ishan (8) early on. However, a solid partnership between Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav (SKY)  of 81 runs off 57 balls steadied the visitors innings. Rohit's (36) dismissal to Sam Curran in his 250^th IPL match, didn’t deter SKY who then continued the momentum alongside Tilak Varma, adding another 49 runs, before his breezy 53 balls 78 run inning was cut short by Sam in the 17th over. Tilak  unbeaten 34 and late cameos from Tim David (14) and Hardik (10) ensured MI a respectable score 193 even as they lost three wickets in the final over bowled by Harshal Patel including a run –out of Nabi (0).

Jasprit Bumrah who earned the second Player of the Match felt it was a close match in the end, as his team anticipated.  “As a bowler, you want to make an impact when conditions favour the ball. In this format, the ball swings for only a couple of overs, unlike Test cricket where I can bowl more and have a greater influence. T20 cricket presents challenges for bowlers due to time constraints and rules favouring impact players. The batting lineups also tend to become deeper, which is beyond our control. I try to relay messages to the bowlers when possible, but I also avoid overloading them with information during the heat of the moment, " said Jasprit Bumrah.

Sam Curran,  Punjab Kings captain on the other hand credited Ashutosh for getting them so close in a tight match. “Our team seems to thrive on close matches. Losing close games is always tough, especially when you've been losing early wickets consistently throughout the tournament. It's heartbreaking for the guys to come so close and still end up on the losing side. Ashutosh and Shashank showed incredible confidence in their game; Ashutosh's ability to sweep fast bowlers is impressive. Hopefully, we can turn these close encounters into wins and build some momentum. It's been a roller-coaster ride, winning one game and then losing the next. I'd rather lose close matches than get completely outplayed, " said Sam Curran after his team lost their fifth match in seven games, four of which was in the final over of the game.

Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians captain whose team registered its first away win this season and third overall  said, "It was indeed a very good game of cricket between two arch rivals. Everyone's nerves were put to the test. We discussed before the game that our character would be tested, and that's exactly what happened. Even though you feel you're ahead in the game, the IPL has a way of producing these close encounters. Ashutosh's knock was unbelievable - he was hitting almost every ball in the middle. I'm happy for him and excited for his future. During the timeout, we emphasized that it doesn't matter how good we look; we need to keep scraping in this game. There were moments where we were a bit soft, but in the end, a win is a win."

 Brief Scores:

Mumbai Indians – 192 for 7 in 20 Overs (Suryakumar Yadav 78 (53b: 7x4s, 3x6s), Rohit Sharma 36 (25b: 2x4s, 3x6s), Tilak Varma 34* (18b: 2x4x, 2x5s); Harshal Patel 3/31, Sam Curran 2/41, 2, Kagiso Rabada 1/41 beat Punjab Kings – 183 all out in 19.1 overs (Ashutosh Sharma 61 (28b: 2x4s, 7x6s), Shashank Singh 41 (25b: 2x4s, 3x6s), Harpreet Brar 21 (20b: 2x4s, 1x6), Extras 21; Jasprit Bumrah  3/21,  Gerald Coetzee 3/32, Shreyas Gopal 1/26, Hardik Pandya 1/33, Akash Madhwal 1/46) by 9 runs. Player of the Match: Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians)