In the 33rd match of the Indian Premier League 2024, Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) took on Sam Curran-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday, April 18 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket. Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
After being invited to bat first in the match, Mumbai Indians posted a fine total of 192/7, taking advantage of the batting masterclass of Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma. Suryakumar Yadav scored 78 runs, while Rohit and Varma contributed 36 and 34 runs.
Defending the target, Mumbai Indians reduced Punjab Kings to 5-49. But Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma once again pulled away and almost took the game out of Mumbai Indians’ hands. At one point, it looked like Punjab Kings would get the win, but Jasprit Bumrah showed his class once again and played a key role in defeating the opposition for 183. Jasprit Bumrah won the Player of the Match award as well as The Mumbai Indians won by 9 runs.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, Hardik Pandya said that everyone’s nerves were tested during the high-voltage match. He also praised youngster Ashutosh Sharma for playing as a blinder for Punjab Kings. Hardik Pandya said:
“Very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerves were tested. We talked before the game that character will be tested in this game. Naturally you think you are ahead in the game. But we knew that IPL has a tendency to produce “These games are amazing – to come in and play like that (Ashutosh’s knock). Almost every ball hits the middle. Happy for him and happy for his future.”
Hardik Pandya further criticized his players for bowling softly but was satisfied that they managed to get a win.
“We talked in the timeout that it doesn’t matter how good we look. We will keep fighting in this game. We were pretty soft in certain overs. However, a win is a win.”
Mumbai Indians current position in IPL 2024 standings and their latest previous match result
Before their match against Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians were ranked 9th in the Indian Premier League 2024 standings with 2 wins and 4 points under their belt from 6 matches. After the end of the PBKS vs MI clash, Hardik Pandya & Co. have moved up to seventh place in the points table.
In their previous clash, Mumbai Indians took on Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 14 in the 29th match of the Indian Premier League 2024. They faced a 20-run thrashing at the hands of the team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. since they could not pursue the target.
First bowling, MI’s bowling unit was not very good and they ended up conceding 206 runs. Hardik Pandya, who bowled a costly final over, picked up two wickets, while Shreyas Gopal and Gerald Coetzee bagged one wicket each.
Chasing the target, former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma showed a batting masterclass and scored his first IPL century in 12 years. He scored a fantastic 105 runs off 63 balls, but lack of support from the other end meant the five-time champions were restricted to 186/6 and lost the high-octane Classic.