198/3 (16.3)
CR : 12.00
195/6 (20.0)
CR : 9.75
Punjab Kings won by 7 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Arshdeep Singh
3/22
Super Sixes of the Match: Quinton de Kock (7 sixes)
Super Fours of the Match: Prabhsimran Singh (11 Fours)
Most Dot Balls in the Match: Arshdeep Singh (13 Dots)
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS captain): "(How does he feel about this team?) Certainly confident and optimistic going forward. The way we have been playing so far has been phenomenal. Plus, we got our head on our shoulders. We know each time we step on the field, it is going to be a team effort. It is a collective effort and I am glad that today we came up and got that comprehensive victory.
(On Prabhsimran Singh) He has raised up his bar. In the last season, he was going wild in the powerplay. He was giving us consistent starts, but today he put maturity on display. Great to see a youngster finishing the match. Taking the responsibility and saying that okay, I am going to win the match for the team. Phenomenal player and talent. Other than that, I feel that the more matches he's getting, he's actually getting more mature.
(MI seemed poised to get 200+. What changed the course?) I think my catch (of Hardik Pandya). (Chuckles) We have got this tendency of pulling back games. Even against SRH, we pulled it back after the powerplay. The guys came together said we need to negate boundaries and executed it really well.
(All wins have come while chasing. What if they need to bat first in any game going forward?) Honestly speaking, we have not decided as of now. I have been lucky with the tosses so far. But we have a lot of players who are ready for the opportunity to express themselves. I feel you need to keep getting better. Focus on yourself rather than the opponents. If we continue with the same recipe and it gets us success, I'll be happy.
(Is the fan following of PBSK increasing?) The way fans are coming in and cheering for us. I think the fan following is going up. So good to see people coming in numbers, shouting and cheering for us."
(On Prabhsimran Singh) He has raised up his bar. In the last season, he was going wild in the powerplay. He was giving us consistent starts, but today he put maturity on display. Great to see a youngster finishing the match. Taking the responsibility and saying that okay, I am going to win the match for the team. Phenomenal player and talent. Other than that, I feel that the more matches he's getting, he's actually getting more mature.
(MI seemed poised to get 200+. What changed the course?) I think my catch (of Hardik Pandya). (Chuckles) We have got this tendency of pulling back games. Even against SRH, we pulled it back after the powerplay. The guys came together said we need to negate boundaries and executed it really well.
(All wins have come while chasing. What if they need to bat first in any game going forward?) Honestly speaking, we have not decided as of now. I have been lucky with the tosses so far. But we have a lot of players who are ready for the opportunity to express themselves. I feel you need to keep getting better. Focus on yourself rather than the opponents. If we continue with the same recipe and it gets us success, I'll be happy.
(Is the fan following of PBSK increasing?) The way fans are coming in and cheering for us. I think the fan following is going up. So good to see people coming in numbers, shouting and cheering for us."
TRIVIA: This is only the second time Punjab Kings have remained unbeaten in their first five games of an IPL season. The previous instance came in 2014, when they won five out of five. This time, they have won four of their first five matches, with one game ending in a washout.
Player of the Match: Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh (Player of the Match): [On this being his best this season] Feels really good. It goes back to having a chat with Ricky. I told him the ball isn't coming out of my hand really well. He gave me a clear mindset. Even yesterday I had a nice spot bowling session and found the ball is coming nice out of my hand. I got it swinging and the control was there.
[On technical changes] Nothing technical. It was keeping myself fresh mentally. I was expecting a lot from myself. He told me you are coming out of a high winning the World Cup and it's never easy. It is not easy to maintain that high for too long. He told me to stick to the basics. Have fun that's the most important part of the game. Enjoy it.
[On the wickets] I've been trying to work on the scrambled seam ball. Saw Siraj got a lot of wickets with a scrambled seam. Still not there yet. Still trying to learn it as much as I can as a variation. As a bowler in T20s you should take whatever comes your way.
[On death style bowling introduced earlier] I've been bowling a lot of wides. The plan is simple. If the batters are set and the boundaries are huge, use them and ensure they don't hit the shorter side. When you back yourself and the yorkers are coming out nicely you back yourself. When the batter is set you go wide. You have to be sure about what you want to do. That's the mindset and planning and the team supports me always.
[On the support] I love the support. Lots of credit goes to my social media. I love making reels and posting stuff. They love me for that and I will keep doing it for them. They have some fun watching it, I enjoy it well. You will see a lot of reels coming."
[On technical changes] Nothing technical. It was keeping myself fresh mentally. I was expecting a lot from myself. He told me you are coming out of a high winning the World Cup and it's never easy. It is not easy to maintain that high for too long. He told me to stick to the basics. Have fun that's the most important part of the game. Enjoy it.
[On the wickets] I've been trying to work on the scrambled seam ball. Saw Siraj got a lot of wickets with a scrambled seam. Still not there yet. Still trying to learn it as much as I can as a variation. As a bowler in T20s you should take whatever comes your way.
[On death style bowling introduced earlier] I've been bowling a lot of wides. The plan is simple. If the batters are set and the boundaries are huge, use them and ensure they don't hit the shorter side. When you back yourself and the yorkers are coming out nicely you back yourself. When the batter is set you go wide. You have to be sure about what you want to do. That's the mindset and planning and the team supports me always.
[On the support] I love the support. Lots of credit goes to my social media. I love making reels and posting stuff. They love me for that and I will keep doing it for them. They have some fun watching it, I enjoy it well. You will see a lot of reels coming."
That brings us to the end of an action-packed evening of IPL cricket. Arshdeep Singh found his rhythm. Prabhsimran raised the bar. Shreyas Iyer flew, first on the boundary to assist a spectacular catch, then on auto-pilot with the bat in his hand. As a result, Punjab Kings — the only undefeated team in the tournament — have climbed to the top of the points table now.
For MI, there are plenty of questions to answer. Rohit Sharma missed the game due to his injury. Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck, Jasprit Bumrah has gone wicketless for 6 games (including one from the last season) now. Quinton de Kock's return into the blue and gold after 1,658 days was scintillating, but his century went in vain. They need to bounce back desperately. The only good thing is that they have plenty of precedents from the past. But then, it won't be easy. Moreover, time is running out for them.
Time is also running out for Ajinkya Rahane and co., who will be in action tomorrow in Ahmedabad against Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans. Do join us for that game. Our coverage will begin at 6:30 PM IST. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Ninaad Dixit, Pritam Dey, Manish Bishnoi, Aman and Paras Yadav. Keep following Crickxo for more cricket from around the world. Goodbye for now!
For MI, there are plenty of questions to answer. Rohit Sharma missed the game due to his injury. Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck, Jasprit Bumrah has gone wicketless for 6 games (including one from the last season) now. Quinton de Kock's return into the blue and gold after 1,658 days was scintillating, but his century went in vain. They need to bounce back desperately. The only good thing is that they have plenty of precedents from the past. But then, it won't be easy. Moreover, time is running out for them.
Time is also running out for Ajinkya Rahane and co., who will be in action tomorrow in Ahmedabad against Shubman Gill's Gujarat Titans. Do join us for that game. Our coverage will begin at 6:30 PM IST. For now, this is Darpan Tikiya signing off on the behalf of Ninaad Dixit, Pritam Dey, Manish Bishnoi, Aman and Paras Yadav. Keep following Crickxo for more cricket from around the world. Goodbye for now!