IPL 2023: Curran, Harpreet, Jitesh knocks propel Punjab Kings to 214/8 against Mumbai Indians

Mumbai: Stand-in skipper Sam Curran led from the front with a blazing half-century while Jitesh Sharma blasted a 7-ball 25 as Punjab Kings recovered from a difficult position to post a massive 214/8 against Mumbai Indians in Match 31 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.

PBKS were looking in a difficult position at 83/4 in the 10th over before Curran and Harpreet Singh stitched a near-century partnership as they recovered to set up a big target after being asked to bat first.

Curran smashed 55 off 29 deliveries and Harpreet Sigh hammered 41 off 28 deliveries to set a platform and Jitesh sharma capitalised on it by smacking four sixes for a 7-ball 25 as PBKS clubbed 95 runs in the last five overs to set up a mammoth total. The highlight of this phase of the game was a 31-run over by Arjun Tendulkar that brought Punjab Kings back into the game.

Punjab Kings had a decent Power-play as they scored 58/1 at the end of the 6th over. Matthew Short, who struck a four each to Jason Behrendorff, through the vacant slips, and Cameron Green, was the first to go for 11 off 10 balls. Green had the last laugh as he got him to play early and end up pulling straight to midwicket.

Prabhsimran, who pulled over the backward square and heaved over square Behrendorff for two sixes in three balls in the fourth over, got out just when it looked like he has had a good start and should be going on to build a big score. Prabhsimran, who struck Piyush Chawla inside out over cover for a four in the 6th over, was out soon after the Power-play as he was caught lbw by Arjun Tendulkar with a superb yorker.

Chawla then struck a double blow in the 10th over when he sent Liam Livingstone and Atharve Taide — Livingstone (10 off 12) stumped brilliantly by Ishan Kishan after the bowler beat the batter with a quicker leg break while Taide dragged onto his stumps off his elbow as he went on one knee to pull another leg break that hit the pad and lobbed back onto the bottom part of the elbow before nudging the stumps and dislodging the bail.

Taide’s wicket was crucial as he was looking in good nick, having blasted 29 off 17 deliveries. He had given wings to his cameo by upper-cutting Jofra Archer for a big six, sweeping Chawla for a boundary and pulling and flicking Arjun Tendulkar for two boundaries in the 7th over.

PBKS’s stand-in skipper Sam Curran and Harpreet Singh took them past the 100-run mark as they started repairing the innings. Curran started slowly, scoring three from the first 10 deliveries he faced. He shifted gears by hitting Green for a four in the 14th over to bring up the 100 for PBKS and hammered

Curran and Harpreet Singh changed the complexion of the game by clubbing Tendulkar for 31 runs in a long 16th over that involved a wide and waist-high no-ball.

Curran smacked down the ground the first ball for a six, the second legal delivery was edged through deep third-man, followed by a single to deep point. Harpreet then drove the next delivery for a four over mid-off and followed it up with a big six off an attempted yorker that ended up as a full-toss.

Tendulkar then bowled a waist-high no-ball that kissed the glove on way to four. Harpreet then added salt into the wound by pulling over a fine leg for four for 31 from the over, which is the joint-highest runs conceded by a bowler in an over in IPL 2023.

Curran and Harpreet slammed 80 runs from 30 balls as Archer was taken for 13 runs in the 17th over with Curran hitting him for a six and Harpreet helping themselves to a pulled-six behind square. Curran smacked Cameron Green for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over but Green made the vital breakthrough for Mumbai Indians as he yorked Harpreet Singh, who under-edged into his stumps to get out for 41 off 28 balls, hitting four boundaries and two maximums.

Jitesh Sharma slammed sixes off the first two deliveries he faced and Curran cut Archer in front of point for a four and completed his fifty off 26 balls and celebrated that with another four off another yorker, moving away. He was out off the next ball as Archer followed him to the 7th stump and made him fend one and grabbed the catch — Curran out for 55 off 29 balls that gave PBKS the impetus at the right time.

Jitesh smacked a huge six off Behrendorff on the first ball of the 20th over as they went past the 200-run mark. He pulled Behrendorff for another six a delivery later but the bowler had the last laugh as he uprooted his middle stump as Jitesh attempted another big one. But the wicketkeeper batter had already done his job by smashing 25 off 7 balls, hitting four sixes.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 214/8 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 55, Harpreet Singh 41, Jitesh Sharma 25; Piyush Chawla 2-15, Cameron Green 2-41) against Mumbai Indians.

–IANS