Mumbai Indians notched their third victory out of nine matches to go fifth in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 and in turn stayed alive after beating Kings XI Punjab by six wickets. The holders in pursuit of 175 runs from 20 overs, surpassed the target in style.
Suryakumar Yadav scored another fifty besides impressive looking cameos from Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya. The duo added 56 runs in 21 deliveries to snatch a commendable victory in Indore.
Earlier, KXIP’s in-form southpaw Chris Gayle struck a 40-ball 50 which propelled the hosts to 174 runs. KXIP stay fourth in the table with 10 points from eight matches.
Here is the statistical analysis as MI stay alive after beating KXIP in IPL 2018.
Stat Attack
- KXIP’s Marcus Stoinis hit the 500th six of IPL 2018.
- Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman continued his impressive form picking two wickets. That took him to nine overall.
- This was the 21st meeting between the two sides with MI registering their 11th victory.
- This was also Punjab’s second defeat out of five in Indore.
- MI need five wins from the remaining five matches to qualify for the knockouts.
Surya impresses for MI yet again
Suryakumar Yadav has been the best uncapped batsman this season. The former Kolkata Knight Riders batsman’s found a new lease of life while opening the innings as he continued to excel in this role. He scored a 42-ball 57 to carve out the chase for MI especially when KXIP looked threatening at times.
NUMBERS GAME (SURYA KUMAR)
- He became the first batsman from MI to cross the 300-run mark.
- Surya now has 340 runs to his name and is fourth in the highest run-getter list.
- His 42-ball 57 was his third fifty in IPL 2018.
- He is joint-second in the list behind Kane Williamson (4).
- Surya also registered his 38th four this season which is the second highest behind Delhi Daredevils’ Rishabh Pant (40).
Rohit Sharma excels at a valuable time
Mumbai Indians needed their captain in this must-win scenario and the player did not disappoint. Sharma hit a 15-ball 24 runs and his presence of mind made the difference in the end. In the process, the player became the first Indian to score 300+ sixes in T20s.
The 24-run unbeaten knock ensured that he remained not out 17 times when chasing in IPL. This in turn saw his franchises winning every time. He did it earlier with Deccan Chargers (4) and now the 13th time for defending champions Mumbai Indians.
Our captian @ImRo45 hit his 300th T20 six. Congrats Hitman 👏👏 #KXIPvMI pic.twitter.com/2nXrnqSqUh
— Mumbai Indians FC (@FanaticsOfMI) May 4, 2018
Gayle-Rahul in cruise mode
Chris Gayle and KL Rahul have found a love affair opening the batting for KXIP. The dangerous duo have been amongst the runs as they impressed once again at the Holkar stadium. KXIP have been very much dependant on the duo and this was highlighted once again against Mumbai.
STAT ATTACK (GAYLE-RAHUL)
- The duo stitched another 54-run stand in IPL 2018.
- The KXIP opening pair has amassed 50+ partnerships in all five matches they have opened together.
- The scores read 96, 53, 116, 55 and 54.
- That’s a total of 374 runs at an average of 74.8.
- Gayle has 302 runs from five innings, Rahul has 292 from eight innings. That’s 594 in total!
GAYLE MANIA
In five matches the ‘Universal Boss’ has played for KXIP, he has already smashed three fifties and one century already. He is averaging at 100.66 at a strike-rate of 154.08. He also notched the most sixes this IPL overtaking MS Dhoni. Gayle has hit 25 maximums after hitting two against MI.
MI bowlers impress
Mayank Markande and Hardik Pandya of Mumbai Indians picked one wicket each against KXIP. This, in turn, sees both players having registered 12 wickets each in IPL 2018. They are one scalp behind Purple Cap holder Trent Boult (13). The duo accounted for two prized scalps.
Markande got Rahul just when he was looking to set free and got caught instead at the deep square-leg boundary. Pandya got plundered for 44 runs but got the dangerous Mayank Agarwal in the final over. The pick of MI bowlers was Jasprit Burmah 1/19 from overs and that was the turning point in the match.
KXIP ended their innings 15-20 runs short.