VISAKHAPATNAM, May 13: Kings XI Punjab put the brakes on their summer of discontent as they notched up a convincing seven-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here tonight.
Medium pacer Marcus Stoinis led the way with four wickets as a disciplined Kings XI Punjab restricted Mumbai Indians to a modest 124 for nine in the stipulated 20 overs.
Stoinis returned brilliant figures of 4/15 in his full quota of four overs after Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma elected to bat. In reply, Kings XI Punjab chased down the target of 125 with as many as three overs to spare.
Skipper Murali Vijay, by far the struggling team�s best batsman in the ninth season of the cash-rich league, once again led from the front with an unbeaten 54 off 52 balls, while the improving Wriddhiman Saha compiled a brisk 56 off 40 deliveries.
Walking out to bat after the departure of Hashim Amla, Saha put on a match-winning partnership of 116 runs for the second wicket with Vijay to help KXIP register their fourth win in 11 outings. The duo consumed only 14.2 overs to stitch together the century stand.
Saha reached his half century off just 38 balls, lofting Jasprit Bumrah over cover for a boundary. Vijay followed suit, as he too reached his fifty with a cut through the point region, an overthrow helping him to complete the second run and reach the landmark.
SCORECARD
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma b Axar 15, Unmukt Chand c Gurkeerat b Sharma 0, Ambati Rayudu b Sandeep Sharma 0, Nitish Rana c Saha b Stoinis 25, Jos Buttler c Gurkeerat b Stoinis 9, Kieron Pollard b Stoinis 27, Krunal Pandya c Axar b Stoinis 19, Harbhajan Singh not out 14, Tim Southee c Gurkeerat b Sharma 1, Mitchell McClenaghan c Miller b Sandeep Sharma 4, Jasprit Bumrah not out 2. Extras: (lb-6, w-2) 8. Total: (for 9 wickets in 20 overs) 124. Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-8, 3-36, 4-47, 5-61, 6-103, 7-103, 8-104, 9-114. Bowling: Sandeep Sharma 4-0-11-2, Mohit Sharma 4-0-26-2, Axar 4-0-30-1, Stoinis 4-0-15-4, Cariappa 4-0-36-0.
Kings XI Punjab: Murali Vijay not out 54, Hashim Amla lbw b Southee 0, Wriddhiman Saha b McClenaghan 56, Glenn Maxwell c Pollard b McClenaghan 0, Gurkeerat Singh not out 6. Extras: (b-4, lb-3, w-4) 11. Total: (for 3 wickets in 17 overs) 127. Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-117, 3-118. Bowling: Southee 4-0-22-1, McClenaghan 3-0-24-2, Pandya 4-0-32-0, Bumrah 2-0-13-0, Harbhajan 4-0-29-0. � PTI
