Mumbai Indians (MI) fell short by 13 runs in a last-over finish vs visiting Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday night. PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh bowled a brilliant last over to help his side gain two more important points in the league and keep their campain on track for a berth in the playoffs. Punjab ended MI's three-match winning streak to bounce back in style after loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), a couple of nights ago. To beat five-time champions without their captain Shikhar Dhawan requires a special effort. Stand-in skipper Sam Curran praised his team for holding their nerves in the crunch situaton to come out victorious.
Also Read | Watch: Arshdeep Singh Breaks Middle Stump Twice In Last Decisive Over To Win PBKS A Cliffhanger Vs MI
Stand-in skipper Curran got Player of the Match award
Curran said that to win 4 games out of 7 is not a bad performance so far. He got the Player of the Match for his all-round show but felt the prize should have gone to the Nathan Ellis or Arshdeep who bowled the last 2 overs and won them the game. "Pretty special. What an amazing ground. The environment is incredible here. It (the win) is a massive positive for us. I don't think I should be getting the Man of the Match considering how the boys closed the game out there," Curran told broadcasters after the game.
The England all-rounder, who struck a quickfire 55, credited a huge role of management and support staff for making constant comebacks this season. "Without Shikhar, we know we had to take that responsibility. Our group is coming together really well. Shikhar will be fit soon. We won 4 out of the 7 games and it is not a bad place to be. Have got great support from the management and the local guys. The boys are enjoying themselves, and it is still a long way to go and the important thing is enjoy the game and don't put too much pressure on ourselves," said Curran.
Our mood right now! __pic.twitter.com/ZEefkm2BeJ
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 22, 2023
IPL 2023 Points Table
With this win, over MI, PBKS have jumped back to fifth spot in the IPL 2023 Points Table. They now have 4 wins from 7 games. The race for playoffs is getting tighter and tighter with each match as there are now five teams with 8 points. Only thing that differentiates them is the Net Run Rate. The top five team reads as: Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings. Royal Challengers Bangalore are on sixth spot followed by Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.
IPL 2023 Orange Cap and Purple Cap leaders:
Faf du Plessis is still the leading run scorer in IPL 2023 with 343 runs from 6 game sat an average of 68.60 and strike rate of 166.50. The Purple Cap in IPL 2023 now belongs to Punjab's Arshdeep Singh who picked up four wickets vs Mumbai Indians. With 13 wickets from 7 games, Arshdeep eclipsed his India teammate Mohammed Siraj from the top.
