IPL 2023Arshdeep Singh last-over heroics help Punjab Kings secure 13-run win over Mumbai Indians at Wankhede

By Saurabh KumarPacer Arshdeep Singh held his nerves in the last over to help Punjab Kings script a stunning 13-run victory against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Punjab Kings needed 15 runs in the last over but Arshdeep conceded just 2 runs and took two wickets in the final over.

MI vs PBKSHighlights from Wankhede

Arshdeep castled Tilak Varma and Impact Player Nehal Wadhera with blistering yorkers to the middle-stump, breaking the woodwork twice in two deliveries in the final over of Mumbai’s innings.

However, the left-handed pacer missed out on a hat-trick when he bowled a wide yorker to Jofra Archer, but he only gave up two runs in the final over to complete a spectacular win for Punjab that appeared implausible at one point. Suryakumar Yadav’s 57 and Cameron Green’s 67 almost pulled Mumbai towards their first successful 200-run chase at the Wankhede Stadium.

However, Arshdeep returned for his third over in the 18th over to dismiss Suryakumar for nine runs. Arshdeep also topped the IPL 2023 Purple Cap list with 13 wickets from seven games.

Mumbai Indians gave Punjab a run for their money till the very end, but could not record their fourth win on the trot despite Suryakumar Yadav and Cameron Green coming up with heroic knocks for the hosts. Cameron Green slammed a 43-ball 67 with 6 fours and 3 sixes, while Rohit Sharma scored 44 runs off 27 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes and Suryakumar Yadav hit 57 runs off 26 balls, including seven fours and three sixes.

Earlier, Sam Curran played a superb 29-ball-55 knock as Punjab Kings recovered from a hazardous position to make a solid 214 for 8 against Mumbai Indians. With 131 runs coming in the final 10 overs, a 92-run stand for the eighth wicket with Harpreet Bhatia (41 off 28 balls) changed the course of the game.

Arjun Tendulkar (1/48 in 3 overs), who made his IPL debut this season, got a decent start but went for 31 in his third over as 69 runs were scored between overs 16-18. In the 17th and 18th overs, Jofra Archer and Cameron Green went for 13 and 25, respectively.

Curran was clearly the star for PBKS, who struck his first IPL fifty this season, and Bhatia, who made a 28-ball 41 (4x4s, 2x6s) while contributing 92 runs from 50 balls for the fifth wicket to push Punjab Kings to a mammoth total. After Punjab got off to a strong start, MI bowlers strangled their middle order.

Curran hit five fours and four sixes to help Punjab Kings rebound impressively after falling down in the middle overs here at the Wankhede Stadium, spearheading a remarkable recovery.

Punjab Kings were 97/4 after 13 overs, but with outstanding efforts from Curran, Bhatia, and Jitesh Sharma, they added 117 runs in the next seven overs, with 96 coming off the last 30 balls. Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper-batsman for Punjab, blasted four sixes in his seven-ball 25 before being cleaned out by Jason Behrendorff in the final over.