IPL 2026 | Wipeout at Wankhede! Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer shine as PBKS crush MI, go top

MUMBAI: Shreyas Iyer whipping Jasprit Bumrah for a six over mid-wicket in the 13th over rubber-stamped an impressive batting display by Punjab Kings as they beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Their fourth victory while chasing a target moved them to the top of the standings with nine points, while MI stay ninth with just two points in their kitty.

Chasing 196 for victory, PBKS overhauled the target in just 16.3 overs, thanks to a 67-ball 139-run partnership for the third wicket between Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh, who was dropped twice in the match, including by Bumrah in the fourth over.

Both came together with PBKS at 45/2 after Priyansh Arya (15, 9b; 2x4, 1x6) and Cooper Connolly (17, 12b; 1x4, 2x6) were dismissed by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (2/31), either side of Bumrah’s missed chance off Hardik Pandya. With MI’s bowling already under pressure this season, they needed to seize every opportunity, but lapses in the field proved costly.

Prabhsimran and Iyer settled into a nice rhythm and didn’t spare the MI bowlers. Iyer scored a 35-ball 66 — his third fifty of the season — at a strike rate of 188, including five fours and four sixes. Prabhsimran remained unbeaten on 80 in his 39-ball knock, which included 11 fours and two sixes. It was the right-hander’s second halfcentury on the trot, and he made sure to capitalise on the reprieve he got.

Their knocks overshadowed Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 112 off 60 balls, in which he smashed eight fours and seven sixes, and his 68-ball 122run partnership with Naman Dhir (50, 31b; 3x4, 3x6) for the third wicket, which had propelled MI’s innings.

Earlier, PBKS bowlers did enough to restrict MI to 195/6, with Arshdeep Singh leading the way with figures of 3/22 from four overs. He was deservedly declared the Man of the Match. The left-arm pacer made full use of the initial life in the pitch by reducing MI to 12/2 in his second over — the third of the innings. He first accounted for Rickelton (2, 8b), while Suryakumar Yadav was caught for a duck. Thereafter, both de Kock and Dhir rode their luck early before pulling MI back into the match.

PBKS, though, bowled tight overs in between to ensure the pair didn’t run away with the game. Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett (0/39) and South African pacer Marco Jansen (1/30) conceded just seven runs in the eighth and 13th overs respectively, while Shashank Singh (1/19) gave away only four runs in the 14th and dismissed Dhir.

Despite de Kock’s efforts to keep the scoreboard ticking, he didn’t receive adequate support at the other end as MI managed just 50 runs in the final five overs. When it seemed MI skipper Hardik Pandya (14 off 12 balls; 1 six) might snatch momentum away from PBKS, Iyer produced an excellent effort on the boundary before completing a relay catch with Bartlett to cut him short.