Kings XI Punjab needed to win each and every game of their last four if they were to fancy any outside chance of entering the Playoffs when they took on Mumbai Indians here on Friday. They made an earnest start to their challenge with a seven-wicket win on a tricky pitch where run-scoring was not easy. The manner in which KXIP captain Murali Vijay and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha batted during the run-chase, it raised questions as to why so much fuss was being made of the pitch by the Mumbai Indians batsmen.
Kings XI Punjab needed to win each and every game of their last four if they were to fancy any outside chance of entering the Playoffs when they took on Mumbai Indians here on Friday. They made an earnest start to their challenge with a seven-wicket win on a tricky pitch where run-scoring was not easy. The manner in which KXIP captain Murali Vijay and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha batted during the run-chase, it raised questions as to why so much fuss was being made of the pitch by the Mumbai Indians batsmen.
It was indeed a slow pitch to bat on. Runs were not easy to come by. Here is where KXIP bowlers needed to be commended. Right from the new ball operators Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma, followed by Australian medium-pacer Marcus Stoinis, they combined to take eight wickets in 12 overs to restrict Mumbai Indians to 124/9.
And, they won with ease, chasing the target with three overs to spare with captain Vijay leading from the front with an unbeaten 54 and raising 116 for the second wicket with Saha, who made 56 at a strike rate of 140.
Saha said that this game was the best match for his team this season. “It was the best knock for me this year. For the team, bowling, batting and fielding fell in place. It was 100% effort in every department. This match was out best this season,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said after the match on Friday night.
What special did he and Vijay do to make batting look so easy while only a few overs earlier, Mumbai Indians struggled? Saha explained: “We were focusing on not smashing the ball. They (MI) had tried to smash the ball while we were trying to rotate the strike and hit boundaries if the ball came within our range. We were trying to score 5-6 runs in an over and only try for the boundary after a few overs. Conserving wickets was the key for us.
“The bowlers did well for both the sides, which is why in a low-scoring game, that the match went into the 17th over. The idea was not to lose a wicket while playing a rash shot or in trying to do anything extra,” Saha, who was recently promoted to No. 3, said.
To prove the point, KXIP had only two sixes and as many as 12 sweetly-timed fours while Mumbai Indians had eight sixes and only five fours, showing clearly what their intent was.
KXIP changed their captain midway through the season after South Africa’s David Miller could not inspire the team to greater success. In Vijay, they have found some inspiration with the new captain himself leading by example and the team winning three of their five games under him.
On what made Vijay’s captaincy click, Saha said: “Actually, there is not much difference between Vijay and Miller. It (team’s success) depends on the team combination. Previously, it wasn't working well. Since Vijay has taken over, the combination has been spot on. The batting order has been shuffled a lot. He has been giving confidence to the team. Of course, Miller was also doing that. We will see how it goes in the remaining games.”
KXIP, with eight points from 11 games, can finish with a maximum of 14 points. That means they have to win their remaining three games and hope for the other results going their way should they make it to the Playoffs, which looks tough at the moment.
Saha was aware of that fact but was not really concerned. “We all know what our position is on the table. We are not focusing on it. We will want to improve match by match in the three games remaining and hope to improve as much as possible till the last match,” he said.
KXIP have travelled to Mohali on Saturday for their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (4pm).
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