Punjab run out of steam as Mumbai win by nine runs

CHANDIGARH, India (AP):

Batter Ashutosh Sharma produced a brilliant rearguard knock but Punjab Kings still ran out of steam and lost to Mumbai Indians by nine runs in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

Sharma scored 61 runs off 28 balls, including seven sixes, as he helped Punjab recover from 77-6 to mount a serious challenge before the hosts fell short.

Pacers Gerald Coetzee and Jasprit Bumrah bowled Mumbai to victory, sharing six wickets in eight overs.

Suryakumar Yadav had earlier scored 78 off 53 balls to help Mumbai post 192-7 (20 overs). Punjab managed 183 in 19.1 overs, nevertheless a remarkable recovery from 49-5 at one stage.

Put into bat, Mumbai lost Ishan Kishan (8) early while his opening partner Rohit Sharma scored 36 off 25 balls.

Sharma hit three sixes as he paved the way for Yadav, who hit seven fours and three sixes in his second half-century of the season.

The duo added 81 runs off 57 balls, with Sharma out caught off stand-in skipper Sam Curran in the 12th over.

Tilak Varma contributed 34 off 18 balls, adding another 49 off 28 balls with Yadav who took centre stage with 50 off 34 balls.

It was a chance-less knock from Yadav, who fell in the 17th over, out caught off Curran (2-41).

Mumbai lost a bit of steam thereafter, as Hardik Pandya (10) and Tim David (14) failed to accelerate enough to push the score past 200.

Harshal Patel finished with 3-31, picking all three wickets including Romario Shepherd (1) in the final over.

In reply, Punjab Kings were off to a disastrous start as they had no response to the Mumbai pacers.

Prabhsimran Singh was caught behind for a first-ball duck off Coetzee and then Bumrah bowled Rilee Rossouw for another golden duck with a searing yorker.

Curran (6), who had opened the innings, was caught behind off Bumrah two balls later in the second over.

It became 14-4 in 2.1 overs as Liam Livingstone mistimed a pull off Coetzee and was out caught for one.

Impact player Harpreet Singh scored 13 runs but the damage was nearly irreparable.

Shashank Singh though went about his task, scoring 41 off 25 balls, including three sixes. His counter attacking knock breathed new life into Punjab’s late order, especially Sharma who took over the mantle once Bumrah dismissed Singh in the 13th over.

The duo had added 34 off 17 balls to rescue Punjab from 77-6 in 9.2 overs. Sharma scored 50 off only 23 balls and his knock included six sixes.

He was particularly severe on pacer Akash Madhwal, smacking him for four out of his seven sixes.

Coetzee finally got the breakthrough in the 18th over, as Sharma was out caught in the deep. But Mumbai was penalised for a slow over rate, meaning there were only four fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle for the final two overs.

Punjab needed 23 runs off the final 12 balls, took 11 off the penultimate over, but ultimately ran out of steam – and wickets.