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 Vishakapatnam.
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.
Best Thing About #KXIP‘s Victory Is Pretty Smile On Preity Zinta’s Face.
#MIvKXIP #IPL2016 #IPL #IPL9 pic.twitter.com/GayB3rBEvO— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) May 13, 2016
Skipper Murali Vijay, by far the struggling team’s best batsman, once again led from the front with an unbeaten 54 off 52 balls, while 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 in 14.2 overs for the second wicket with Vijay to help KXIP register their fourth win in 11 outings.
As Kings XI Punjab raced towards the victory target, Saha was bowled by Mitchell McClenaghan, which, however, did not matter in the end. Glenn Maxwell though failed to open his account.
Mumbai Indians, in their innings, were off to a disastrous start before Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya took them to a respectable total with a late flurry.
While MI stayed at the fifth position with 12 points, Kings XI Punjab moved a step up to be in seventh place with eight points.
Featured image source: IPL