Indore: Sixes rained around the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Thursday as Mumbai Indians swept to the top of the table with crushing win over Kings XI Punjab.
Chasing a healthy 199, Jos Buttler (77, 37b, 7x4, 5x6) and Nitish Rana (62 not out, 34b, 7x6) carried Mumbai to a massive eight-wicket victory with as many as 27 balls to spare despite the imposing target.
England wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler shared a fiery 166-run second wicket partnership with Delhi boy Rana to guide Mumbai to the target with ease.
Parthiv Patel gave Mumbai a decent start putting on 37 off 18 balls with Buttler before being caught behind.
Earlier, Hashim Amla’s classy hundred powered Kings XI Punjab to a competitive 198/4.
Playing shots that would delight the purists, Amla spanked all the Mumbai Indians bowlers en route his unbeaten 104 off 60 balls, which included as many as six sixes apart from eight boundaries.
In fact five of the half dozen sixes were hit off Sri Lankan slinger Lasith Malinga (0/58 in 4 overs).
There were straight hits, shirt arm jabs over long-on, slashes over point, hook, and a majestic pull-shot in ‘Nataraja style’, which brought up his first hundred in shortest format as well second of this edition.
Skipper Glenn Maxwell, on his part played a typically breezy innings smashing 40 off 18 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes.
Scorecard
Kings XI Punjab: H. Amla (not out) 104, S. Marsh c Pollard b McClenaghan 26, W. Saha b KH Pandya 11, G. Maxwell b Bumrah 40, M. Stoinis c Pollard b McClenaghan 1, A. Patel (not out) 4. Extras: (lb 5, w 5, nb 2) 12. Total: (for 4 wkts, in 20 overs) 198.
FoW: 1-46, 2-80, 3-163, 4-166
Bowling: Hardik 2-0-18-0, McClenaghan 4-0-46-2 (1nb), Harbhajan 2-0-12-0, Malinga 4-0-58-0 (2w), Krunal 4-0-29-1 (2w), Bumrah 4-0-30-1 (1nb, 1w)
Mumbai Indians: P. Patel c Maxwell b Stoinis 37, J. Buttler c Maxwell b M. Sharma 77, N. Rana (not out) 62, H. Pandya (not out) 15
Extras: (lb 3, w 5) 8. Total (for 2 wkts, in 15.3 overs) 199
FoW: 1-81l, 2-166
Bowling: Sandeep Sharma 3-0-39-0 (2w), I. Sharma 4-0-58-0, M. Sharma 2.3-0-29-1-1 (1w), Stoinis 2-0-28-1 (1w), Patel 2-0-20-0 (1w), Swapnil 2-0-22-0
