Mumbai Indians (MI) achieved victory by nine runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2024’s 33rd match on April 18th in Mullanpur. This third triumph in seven games propelled MI to seventh position in the points table, while PBKS occupied the ninth spot.
Batting first on a tricky pitch, Mumbai Indians amassed an imposing 192/7 total. Suryakumar Yadav (78), Rohit Sharma (36), and Tilak Varma (34*) made crucial contributions. For PBKS, Harshal Patel (3/31) and Sam Curran (2/41) claimed wickets.
In the uphill pursuit, the PBKS top order tumbled to 14/4 and appeared to be in disarray. Shashank Singh (41) appeared briefly but was unable to contribute significantly as Jasprit Bumrah sent him back to the pavilion in the 13th over. After reducing Punjab Kings to 111/7, Mumbai Indians took the lead.
Ashutosh Sharma scored a spectacular 61 (28) and single-handedly hauled his team back into the game. His brave performance helped reduce the equation to 28 runs in the final four overs.
Ashutosh Sharma, the key player, exited without completing his task in the eighteenth over despite creating a platform for triumph. The Mumbai Indians bowlers then demonstrated composure in the final overs, restricting PBKS to 183 runs within 19.1 overs.
Fans on social media platforms relished the enthralling clash between MI and PBKS on Thursday night during the IPL 2024 tournament. They shared comical memes on social media, expressing their reactions to the intense on-field action.
Here are some of the finest memes about the game:
“A very good game of cricket”- MI captain Hardik Pandya after victory against PBKS in IPL 2024
At the post-match presentation, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya reminisced on the hard-fought victory over PBKS and said:
“A very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerve was tested. The characters were going to be checked this game, and that was what happened. (At 14/4) It’s natural that you think you’re ahead, but the IPL has tendency to produce games where the opposition can make a comeback. This was exactly like that. The way the two batters batted for them was fantastic.
Hardik Pandya
On areas to improve for his side, Hardik continued:
“We spoke at the time-out that it does not matter how good we look, we’ll make sure we’ll keep scrapping and fighting in this game. Lot of areas in the bowling we can look and say we can’t give those soft balls. We were quite soft in certain departments and overs, and that kind of cost us to go this far. Nevertheless, a win is a win.”
Hardik Pandya
LSG will meet CSK in the next IPL 2024 match on Friday at Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium.