MI now have five straight losses as PBKS defeated the five-time champions by 12 runs in match 23 of the 2022 IPL. Mayank Agarwal, the PBKS captain, was the star for them before Odean Smith derailed the chase by taking four wickets. Let us look at some key moments from the high-scoring game.
Mumbai’s wide bowling
MI were wayward with their bowling, and that allowed the PBKS batters to not feel any pressure while batting. The first ball of the first three overs of the inning were all poor balls – a wide short of a good length ball, an overpitched ball outside off and a loosener down the leg – and all three ended up conceding a boundary. This set the tone for the rest of the inning.
The most productive shot for both the openers was the cut shot or the backfoot punch, which shows the shorter lengths that MI bowlers bowled along with providing width. In comparison, PBKS bowlers were much straighter in their lines and forced the MI batters to manufacture the shots, resulting in their wickets.
Livingstone at four
This year, PBKS have played a fearless brand of cricket. They have decided that they will go all guns blazing irrespective of the outcome. After the PBKS openers provided them with a perfect platform, scoring 93 in 9.3 overs, the stage was set for their most devastating batter, Liam Livingstone. However, Jonny Bairstow walked in ahead of him.
Livingstone has struck at 190.6 in this year’s IPL, and the match situation was ideal for his entry point into the game. When Livingstone eventually came to bat at the end of the 14th over, PBKS had already failed to sustain the momentum provided by Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan.
From the time Agarwal got out and Livingstone came out to bat, PBKS added just 30 runs in 4.2 overs. Although Livingstone got out cheaply, his form and the platform that was laid for him warranted him to bat at number three.
Where was SKY?
Much like PBKS, even MI failed to get their best batter in at the right time. After losing both the openers inside the Powerplay, MI went ahead with a left-right combination, sending in Tilak Varma ahead of Suryakumar Yadav.
SKY has been MI’s best batter for more than two seasons now. A player who is capable of arresting a collapse and counterattack, SKY is an ideal number four bat, irrespective of the combination at the crease. Although Varma and Dewald Brewis put up a strong partnership of 84 runs MI’s best), sending in SKY would have given him the chance to control the chase, rather than manufacturing shots under pressure.
MI eventually fell short of 12 runs. Whether SKY coming in earlier would have changed the result or not would be a guessing game. However, a player of his ability and range should be allowed to face maximum deliveries to get the most out of him and reap the rewards of his form.