IPL 2023: Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan gives PBKS bowers a reality check after MI's stunning run chase

Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings faced a defeat in hands of visitors Mumbai Indians.

With a brilliant partnership from Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai Indians chased down yet another 200-plus total in the IPL 2023. Mumbai Indians have defeated Punjab Kings by 6 wickets in a high-scoring game. MI chased down Punjab Kings' 215 runs target with one over still left to bowl. After losing Rohit Sharma early in the first over, Ishan Kishan (75) and Suryakumar Yadav (66) added 116 runs in 9 overs to steer MI towards the win against Punjab. When these two got out, Tilak Verma (26) and Tim David (19) finished the game nicely. Punjab with a brilliant batting performance from Liam Livingstone (82) and Jitesh Sharma (49) put up 214 on the board but this was not enough for Ishan and SKY.

Shikhar Dhawan unhappy with Punjab's bowling effort

Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan was not pleased with PBKS bowling effort. Captain Shikhar said, “We started off quite well and thought it was a very good total but unfortunately we could not defend it. I feel that of course Rishi bowled well, but from the other end we bowled outside off stump quite a bit and we should have bowled a tighter line”. Arshdeep Singh conceded 66 runs in 3.5 overs. Sam Curran gave 41 runs in his 3 overs. Shikhar Dhawan also said that dew had also impacted their chances in the game. He said, “There was dew on the field and the wicket got better, I feel that if spinners get hit then it gets hard to contain runs”.

Rohit Sharma clear about Mumbai's batting plan

Mumbai after losing Rohit Sharma early, bounced back nicely with Ishan and Suryakumar’s blistering partnership. Captain Rohit was happy with the way they both batted, especially Ishan Kishan and he said, “Ishan is a little man but he has got a lot of power. He practises those shots that we saw today, so what does matter is what he does off the field and it comes off on the field”. Rohit also said that MI’s strategy in batting is pretty clear. He said, “Before the start of the season we spoke about how we want to play our cricket. With the bat, we just wanted to go out there and play fearlessly without worrying about the results”. This is Mumbai’s second consecutive 200-plus run chase.

Ishan wins POTM award for his 75 runs

Mumbai’s wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan is awarded Player of the Match for his swashbuckling 75 runs in 41 balls. He smashed 7 fours and 4 sixes. He added 116 runs in 9 overs with Suryakumar Yadav (66). Ishan was happy about his performance and he said, “Plan from the team and coach was to keep the momentum going and watch the ball and play your own game. I think it doesn’t matter when you are chasing and they have a good bowling attack. You don’t want to take it to the last over. You want to finish off as quickly as possible”. Talking about his power he said fitness is really important and few seniors have set the benchmark.