Pune | Jagran Sports Desk: Mumbai Indians' (MI) disappointing performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 continued on Wednesday after they lost their fifth straight match of this season to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 12 runs here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
Opting to bowl first against the Punjab Kings on a good surface, the Mumbai Indians bowlers failed to give their side a good start after skipper Mayank Agarwal and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan smashed fifties.
While Mayank scored 52 off 32 balls before getting dismissed by Murgan Ashwin, Dhawan scored a smash-buckling 70 off 50 balls before he got out to Basil Thampi.
Though the middle order - Jonny Bairstow (12 off 13) and Liam Livingstone (2 off 3) failed for Punjab Kings, wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma (30 not out off 15) and Shahrukh Khan (15 off 6) ensured that their side reach 198 for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs.
However, the Mumbai Indians didn't get a start what they would have expected from their openers after skipper Rohit Sharma and wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan returned to pavilion after scoring just 28 and 3 runs respectively.
Rohit, who hit three fours and two sixes, was looking good during his stay at the crease, but he got dismissed to pacer Kagiso Rabada before doing much damage.
However, 18-year-old Dewald Brevis (49 off 25) and Tilak Varma (36 off 20) had stabilised the innings for MI, giving the franchise's fans some hope. Brevis also hit 29 runs off Rahul Chahar's one over, leaving fans in awe of his hitting abilities.
Recommended For You
However, just when it was looking good for MI, Brevis and Varma lost their wickets as PBKS made a comeback in the match. Soon, Kieron Pollard (10 off 11) returned back to the pavilion as Mumbai Indians were pushed on the backfoot by Punjab Kings bowlers.
Although Suryakumar Yadav (43 off 30) tried to keep his side in the game, he too got dismissed by Rabada in the end, dashing all hopes for Mumbai Indians. In the end, Punjab Kings won the match comfortably by a margin of 12 runs.
With this win, PBKS have moved to the third position on the points table as they now have six points with a net run rate (NRR) of +0.239. MI, meanwhile, continue to be at the bottom of the points table with zero points and an NRR of -1.072.
Brief Scores:
Punjab Kings: 198 for 5 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 70, Mayank Agarwal 52; Basil Thampi 2/47).
Mumbai Indians: 186 for 9 in 20 overs (Dewald Brevis 49, Suryakumar Yadav 43; Odean Smith 4/30).