After three defeats on the trot, Mumbai Indians finally got one in the bag with a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi that kept their playoff hopes alive.
With the first win in four games in the UAE edition, Mumbai took their tally to 10 points and climbed two places above to fifth in the eight-team table.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi grabbed two wickets from two deliveries to spin Punjab back into the game after they were restricted to 136-6.
The 21-year old spinner removed Rohit Sharma and bowled a googly to knock back Suryakumar Yadav’s middle stump in the next ball.
Quinton de Kock and Saurabh Tiwary shared a 45-run stand to take the score to 61 and when it looked like the pair were taking the game away from Punjab, Mohammed Shami struck.
De Kock, trying to pull a good length ball, got an inside edge to his stumps. Thereafter Tiwary teamed up with Hardik Pandya to stable the ship.
Tiwary fell for a 37-ball 45. That brought Keiron Pollard to the crease and with 40 to win from four overs, it was Pandya who got to work after a slow start.
He pulled Shami to the mid-wicket fence and smacked the next to the same area for maximum to take 11 from that over.
It was Pollard’s turn next. He hit Arshdeep Singh for a four and six to take 13 from that over and narrow down the target to 16 from 12 balls. And Pandya finished it off by carting Shami for 17 in the penultimate over.
Punjab, sent into bat first, made a cautious start before Krunal Pandya trapped Mandeep Singh in front at 36 in the second delivery of the fifth over.
South African batsman Aiden Markram top-scored with 42, while Mumbai veteran Pollard picked up two wickets in the one over he bowled.
