Brief scores: Punjab Kings (198/3 in 16.3 overs) beat Mumbai Indians (195/6 in 20 overs) by 7 wickets. HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer made sloppy Mumbai Indians pay for their mistakes as Punjab Kings remained unbeaten in the IPL 2026 season. Chasing a target of 196 runs, PBKS reached it in just 16.3 overs with seven wickets remaining, as Mumbai lost their fourth game on the trot.
Mumbai posted 195 runs thanks to a fantastic hundred from Quinton de Kock and a fighting fifty from Naman Dhir. But the bowling once again proved to be an issue for the five-time champions, especially in the power play.
The Punjab Kings innings started with a wayward over from Deepak Chahar, where he was taken apart by Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya.
Chahar hasn’t been up to the mark this season, conceding 43 runs in the last two overs he bowled for MI. Hardik decided to roll the dice and brought in Bumrah in the second over, which the opening duo was able to negate.
Allah Ghazanfar came on to bowl next, and he didn’t allow Priyansh any room to free his arms, causing his downfall at 15 off nine balls.
Prabhsimran was given a second life by Bumrah in the fourth over, as he dropped a half-chance that should have been taken. Cooper Connolly gave MI some instant regret with a couple of sixes and a boundary before Ghazanfar dismissed him.
But Prabhsimran was ready to make MI pay at this point, once again taking down Deepak Chahar with a boundary and a six as PBKS kept themselves steady in terms of the run rate.
Prabhsimran continued to toy with the bowlers and got to his fifty off just 24 balls, as he was being guided well by his skipper Shreyas Iyer.
THE NEW CHASE MASTER?
Whenever the name “chase master” comes up, Virat Kohli is the first name that comes to everyone’s mind. His exploits in international cricket and the IPL speak for themselves, as he recently revealed that he has tried to evolve with the new demands of T20 cricket.
The same can be said about Shreyas as well. For a long period of time, the approach of the Mumbai batter was questioned, as he seemed to be tagged as an expert player of spin.
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, we have seen an evolution in Shreyas as a batter, who suddenly seems immune to short balls and a master of the run chase.
He has scored three fifties in the last five chases for his side in the IPL, with the failures coming in the 2025 final and the match against GT earlier in the season.
Here, he once again came in and started toying with Bumrah effectively and put in another fifty off just 31 balls. But the way he guided Prabhsimran was even better.
He allowed the wicketkeeper to keep playing his brand of cricket, which saw him continue to dominate the bowlers. Shreyas then went into overdrive, taking down Bumrah and Shardul Thakur for a couple of sixes and ensuring that the game was well within PBKS’ reach.
He fell before the finishing touches were applied, but Prabhsimran ensured that the game was done, and Punjab continued their fine form in the tournament.
DE KOCK DELIVERS MASTERCLASS, BUT MI STARS FLOP AGAIN
It was a day when MI needed a win desperately and some inspiration with the bat. The big names in their lineup have failed to make a mark in the tournament since the opening match.
They were dealt a blow early on as Rohit Sharma had to sit out due to not recovering from his hamstring issue. This meant that a change was needed, and in came De Kock.
The South African was one of the core members during MI’s dominant time in the IPL and hasn’t found the same level of consistency elsewhere. But his work was cut out early, as the big names in the MI lineup flopped once again.
It started with Arshdeep Singh dismissing Ryan Rickleton early and then sending Suryakumar Yadav back to the pavilion for a first-ball duck. Naman Dhir, who spoke about being willing to bat anywhere for MI, showed his class by weathering the storm with De Kock.
The duo then launched a counter-attack, starting from the final over of the powerplay. Both men dealt out heavy punishment to Yuzvendra Chahal, who had dropped Naman early in the fourth over. Chahal conceded 45 runs from 3 overs.
It was De Kock who led the charge after the initial burst from Naman, taking down the bowlers with ease. He kept attacking the likes of Xavier Bartlett and Jansen as the duo stitched together a 122-run stand off 68 balls.
Shashank delivered the breakthrough, but De Kock completed his hundred off 53 balls to ensure Mumbai posted a challenging total. But the biggest issue for Mumbai has been the way their big names have performed.
Suryakumar’s struggles continued, and the same was the case for Tilak, despite him coming in much later. Hardik Pandya’s batting left a lot to be desired, especially as he came in late with his side needing momentum. Hardik scored 14 off just 12 balls, and Sherfane Rutherford also failed to make a mark after his heroics against RCB.
With the ball, the new-ball pairing of Chahar and Boult has been underwhelming. Adding to this is Bumrah’s predicament, as his run of being wicketless in the IPL extended to six games. He conceded 41 runs in his four overs, with Shreyas once again getting the better of him on the night.
Hardik snapped during the post-match presentation, where he was lost for words as to what MI needed to do next. They will now face Gujarat Titans next on Monday, April 20. For Punjab, their next challenge comes against LSG at New Chandigarh.
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