IPL 2017
Mass homicide!
By B Dixit - Apr 20, 2017 6:07 pm
Views 56

Mumbai Indians are on a winning streak. That too a serious one!

Having won four out of five matches, they had already made the best possible start to this season of the Indian Premier League. After the first innings, it seemed as if Indians’ run would be discontinued by Hashim Amla’s brilliance. The bad part about assumptions is that they remain mere assumptions!

If Glenn Maxwell and Amla went bonkers in the first innings, Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler went gaga in the second. Generally there is a pressure of scoring runs in a chase. At times, it seems that it no longer exists. Doesn’t it?

Mumbai Indians’ openers went all guns blazing against Punjab’s bowling. They thrashed the bowling to all parts of the ground. By the end of the powerplay, Mumbai Indians had scored 82 runs for the loss of Parthiv Patel. Indians’ wicket-keeper was dismissed on 37 (18). But he had done his work in the short period of time he was in the middle.

To replace a left-hand batsman, came in the in-form Nitish Rana, another left-hand batsman. Rana, too, did not waste any time and added more to the carnage. Not even a pinch of respect was shown to any of the bowler. Mumbai crossed the 100-run mark in the eight over. By the halfway mark, Mumbai had scored 123-1, their highest score after the end of 10 overs.

To mention any highlight of Mumbai Indians’ innings would be an unsuitable idea for their whole batting package looked like a highlights package. The boundaries hit were fierce. The sixes hit were gigantic. Most (almost all) of them landed on the upper tier of the stadium. To say that the batting effort was a mass homicide against the home team would not be wrong.

Indians reached the target in 15.3 overs. 199 runs were scored at a run rate of 12.83. Buttler lost his wicket on 77 (37). Nitish Rana remained not out on 62* (34). The southpaw smashed no boundary but seven monstrous sixes, which are the most sixes in an IPL innings without a four. Six bowlers were used by Maxwell, all leaked runs at or above 10 runs per over. And above all, you have to feel pity for Hashim Amla!

Watch glimpses of how Rana and Buttler took on the opposition bowlers:

Video Credits – IPL.

Featured image source: iplt20.com (screen grab)