Punjab Kings batsman Josh Inglis during the IPL T20 Match at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on May 26, 2025
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
A century partnership between Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis helped Punjab Kings ease to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Jaipur on Monday (May 26, 2025), and seal its place in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025.
The duo combined for a 109-run association off 59 balls, putting Kings in control of the 185-run target, which they managed with nine balls to spare. The loss also pushed five-time champion MI into Friday’s (May 30, 2025) Eliminator.
MI’s new-ball efficacy ensured that the openers Priyansh (62, 35b, 9×4, 2×6) and Prabhsimran Singh did not get off to a flier.
The latter, in particular, failed to connect his attempted lofted shots, eventually falling to Jasprit Bumrah for less than a run-a-ball. Priyansh peppered the cover boundary early on before taking on MI’s back-of-a-length approach to provide impetus.
Maiden fifty
Inglis (73, 42b, 9×4, 3×6), at the other end, ensured the side didn’t get bogged down by the accuracy of Mitchell Santner, collecting 19 runs off 11 balls against the left-arm spinner on the way to his maiden IPL fifty.
Santner managed to scalp both the half-centurions in his second spell, but the damage was done by then.
Earlier, after being put in to bat, opener Ryan Rickelton gave MI a brisk start. The southpaw lofted over-pitched balls down the ground, and adjusted well to pull Arshdeep Singh’s attempted bouncers to the boundary. But MI’s attempts to maximise the PowerPlay was cut short when Marco Jansen used the extra bounce he extracts to remove his compatriot.
The team’s leading scorer, Suryakumar Yadav, injected some pace with three boundaries off Kyle Jamieson. But Harpreet Brar’s removal of Rohit Sharma, courtesy a stunning diving catch by Nehal Wadhera, set the innings backwards again.
The returning V. Vyshak then delivered a frugal opening spell, conceding just eight in his first two, before prising out both Tilak Varma and Will Jacks to help his side take control.
A 44-run stand between Suryakumar, who eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 618 runs in a season for MI with another half-century, and skipper Hardik Pandya set up what Mumbai hoped would be a grandstand finish.
However, despite a few hits across the fence, Arshdeep’s double strike at the death restricted it to 184. Priyansh and Inglis then took over.
Published – May 27, 2025 12:17 am IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com