After MS Dhoni, if there is someone who can be given the tag of Captain Cool, it’s Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey. The ever-smiling Australian never gives you a hint of his emotions. But defeat can make you do the worst of things like Bailey did after losing his wicket against Mumbai Indians at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium on Sunday.
Off the penultimate ball of the 19th over of KXIP innings, with the hosts still needing 34 runs, a desperate Bailey tried to steal a run from wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel. Patel was ready for it and hit the stumps. Bailey fell just short of the crease and he knew his innings was over. A frustrated Bailey flung his bat down on to the turf. It was a striking image that perfectly summarised Punjab’s IPl-8 campaign.
After seven balls, Kings XI would succumb to their seventh loss that meant that the season is all but over for them, while Mumbai Indians have kept their hopes alive with a 23-run win —third in a row. Punjab’s starry batting line-up once again failed their team while chasing a target of 173. Barring a few promising moments, the chase never looked on the right track.
The big partnership that was needed to chase such a good target never materialised for Kings. For Mumbai, however, it came at the begining when openers Parthiv Patel (59 off 36 balls, 5x4, 3x6) and ledl Simmons (71 off 56 balls, 9x4, 1x6) put together 111 runs. And that proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Opening salvo
Mumbai had longed for a long time to have a pair that can dominate the initial overs. They even bought Aaron Finch this season but he got injured even before settling in the role. And Mumbai had to put up a new combo in Simmons and Parthiv. After a few 30s and 40s, the duo finally have started repaying the faith that the team management put into them.
The duo brought up 100 in 11th over to lay a strong foundation. Simmons started the onslaught hitting Sandeep Sharma for two crisp boundaries in the first over but it was Parthiv who truly dominated the Punjab bowlers. Johnshon felt most of the heat with Parthiv slamming him for 18 in the very first over. Bailey changed Johnson’s end but he was again slammed for 12 runs. Off the nine balls that Johnson bowled to Parthiv, he ended up conceding 28 runs.
Only after Parthiv departed attempting to clear square leg boundary that Punjab breathed easy a bit. Simmons was still there but he wasn’t in the zone Parthiv was operating. He continued to hold on to one end hitting occasional boundaries and rotating the strike consistently. Rohit promoted himself up, and rightly so, but he too couldn’t provide the kind of thrust that could match Parthiv’s effort.
Credit should also go to Punjab bowlers, especially Anureet Singh and Sandeep Sharma, who hit the blockhole repeatedly to restrict Mumbai to 172 that once looked certain to cross 200.
But their efforts were overshadowed by the Mumbai duo of lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan, who mixed their yorkers with slower balls in the death overs to wrap up the match.
Brief Score
Mumbai Indians: 172/3 in 20 overs (lendl Simmons 71, Parthiv Patel 59, Anureet Singh 1/30) beat Kings XI Punjab: 149/7 in 20 overs (David Miller 43, lasith Malinga 2/31) by 23 runs.