Another IPL game, another 200-plus totals put up on the board by Punjab Kings (PBKS) and another loss for them. On May 14, it came against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala.
Defending 201 to win, Punjab Kings looked hapless with the ball yet again as Mumbai chased it down with six wickets and a ball to spare. Barring Azmatullah Omarzai, who had come into the playing XI in place of Marcus Stoinis, none of the other looked potent enough to test the Mumbai batters.
Omarzai claimed two wickets in four overs while giving away 36 runs at nine an over. Arshdeep Singh was economical as he conceded just 29 runs at an economy of 7.25 runs per over, but couldn’t claim a wicket. With not much assistance for the spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal also struggled to make a substantial impact.
He snared a solitary scalp of Rohit Sharma while giving away 32 runs at eight an over. Significantly, this was Punjab Kings’ 10th loss while defending a 200-plus total. No team has lost more games after posting 200 or more on the board in the history of T20 cricket.
West Indies are second on the unenviable list with eight such losses.The reigning IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are third with seven losses. Five-time IPL winners, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), are fourth, having failed to defend a 200-plus total as many as six times in their playing history.
Shreyas Iyer’s reign of dominance against Mumbai Indians ends
The loss in Dharamsala was Punjab’s fifth consecutive loss this IPL season. It also put an end to an impressive streak which was held by their skipper, Shreyas Iyer. Iyer had won his previous seven matches as a captain against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
The record for the most consecutive wins against an opponent as a skipper in the IPL belongs to Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir won eight games in a row against Punjab Kings between 2014 and 2017.
