KL Rahul and Chris Gayle efforts help Punjab Kings humble Mumbai Indians team worth Rs 65 crore

Punjab Kings finally got their act together by fielding a Rs 35.9 crore playing eleven that outplayed the famed Rs 65 crore Mumbai Indians (MI) line-up. In yet another case of middle-order failure, six batsmen with a combined worth of Rs 35.1 Crore could only score 59 runs between them. Whereas, Punjab Kings’ re-jigged portfolio of reasonably priced assets yielded gold dust by winning the match by 9 wickets.

Put into bat MI lost opener Quinton de Kock 3 (5) at the score of 7. In the middle-order, Ishan Kishan 6(17), Hardik Pandya 1(4), and Krunal Pandya 3(3) failed miserably to cope with some top-class PBKS bowling. Tight spells from Md Shami and Ravi Bishnoi set the game up for PBKS, as the duo returned with identical figures of 2 for 21. The only saving grace was 79 runs partnership between Rohit Sharma 63(52) and Suryakumar Yadav 33(27) that helped MI to reach the score of 131 at the loss of 6 wickets. The target was easily overhauled by PBKS at the back of swashbuckling unbeaten knocks from skipper KL Rahul 60(52) and Chris Gayle 43(35).

With this win, PBKS is back on track whilst MI needs to rethink its strategy soon. At the end of the match, both the teams find themselves tied at 4 points from 5 games, with 3 losses and 2 wins.

Here is a quick look at the performance of the players getting big bucks:

PERFORMERS

KL Rahul (Rs 11 crore): The captain of the kings radiated confidence throughout the game. His move to bowl first after winning the toss, second his faith in his bowlers. In a stroke of genius, he brought Ravi Bishnoi into the squad, who took the crucial wickets of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. With the bat, KL Rahul looked determined to take PBKS over the line. He scored a stylish 60 off 52 runs with 3 fours and 3 sixes, ensuring 2nd win of the season for the kings. For his match-winning knock, Rahul was selected as the man of the match.

Chris Gayle (Rs 2 crore): The universal boss made amends in this match for his low scores in the last 3 innings. Unfortunately, MI found themselves at the receiving end of his redemption. In an innings of swagger, Gayle scored an unbeaten 43 off 35 balls. The bowlers scurried for cover as he bludgeoned 5 fours and 2 sixes. The arrival of form for the highest run-getter in T20 cricket with 13796 runs under his belt, is certainly good news for PBKS’s chances in the tournament.

LAGGARDS

Hardik Pandya (Rs 11 crore): It is hard to justify the investment, given the all-rounder’s third single-digit score in a row. Pandya scored just a single off four deliveries in this innings. He has managed only 36 runs from 5 innings in the tournament so far. And with his inability to contribute with the ball, the investment of Rs 11 Crore might seem over-rated to the fans.

Kurnal Pandya (Rs 8.8 crore): It’s been a difficult IPL for the Pandya siblings so far. In the 5 matches this year, Krunal has scored only 29 runs. In yet another flop show, he scored just 3 runs before perishing to Md Shami. With the ball, he gave away 31 runs off his 3 overs without any success.

Ishan Kishan (Rs 6.20 crore): Ishan Kishan was retained in the team purely for his batting. But the southpaw made batting look difficult at number 3. Scoring at a strike rate of 35.29, Kishan managed to score only 6 runs. The performance hardly justifies his inclusion in the squad and the huge investment in him by the franchise.

Punjab Kings will be hoping to carry on this blistering form into their next match against KKR, scheduled to be held on April 26. Whereas MI will look to make amends in their next match on April 29 against RR. In today’s match, RR and KKR will lock horns in Mumbai.