Punjab Kings were 118-4 after 15 overs against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, set for a total around 170. Then, they exploded beyond anyone’s expectations.
At the crease was Harpreet Singh, on 16 from 20 balls, and stand-in captain Sam Curran, on a 15-ball 17. There had been no indication of what was to follow.
Arjun Tendulkar had started the night well, dismissing a dangerous-looking Prabhsimran Singh. But, in the 16th over, Harpreet and Curran took him on. As they did, Tendulkar fell apart. He conceded a wide and a no-ball and they took him for six boundaries in all as the over went for 31.
Rohit Sharma immediately recalled Jofra Archer. Curran greeted him with a four, and off the third ball, Bhatia pulled a six. However, Archer finished the over on a high, conceding two singles in his last three balls.
Rohit then went to Cameron Green, and Curran sent the first two balls flying for sixes, over cover and then over the bowler. After Curran ran a single, Green yorked Bhatia (41 in 28 balls), who had exposed the wicket in an attempt to slog.
Out walked Jitesh Sharma, the wicketkeeper who had finished the 2022 edition with a strike rate of 164 and had been striking at 149 this season. He did not bother to take his time: instead, he lofted the first two balls for sixes over long-off.
Archer did well again, restricting Curran (55 off 29 balls) to two boundaries in the over and conceding 10 runs from it. Curran was late on to his shot off the sixth, and Archer took an excellent return catch.
Archer’s death-over figures of 2-0-23-1 were not impressive, but when put into perspective – 76 were scored in three overs at the other end – it was probably an excellent return.
Meanwhile, Jason Behrendorff came back on for the last over, and Jitesh slammed two sixes off the first three balls before missing the fourth to get bowled, middle stump, for a 7-ball 25. A four and a run out followed, and Punjab amassed 214-8.
The onslaught included 96 in the last five overs, the second-most in the history of IPL, next to only Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 112 (23, 14, 30, 30, 15) against the Gujarat Lions in the 2016 edition.
