Krunal Pandya took Mumbai Indians to win against Kings XI Punjab. (Source: IPL)
After the much-needed 6-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians allrounder Krunal Pandya, who smashed an unbeaten 12-ball 31 said that he came to his side’s aid in the do-or-die encounter. After the loss against RCB, Mumbai were starting at an early exit from the tournament and needed to win all their remaining matches to make it through play-offs. Facing Kings XI Punjab in an away fixture, the elder Pandya came off good with the bat to script a win for his side and give them a lifeline.
Speaking to reporters at the press conference after the match, the 27-year old said that he was disappointed after not being able to deliver in the previous game against RCB. “It was a do-or-die situation for us. I couldn’t deliver in the last game (against RCB). I’m happy with my performance. I wanted to stay until the end,” the left-handed batsman said.
Krunal, who was supported from the other end by skipper Rohit Sharma, said that the two sixes in the 17th over of Mujeeb Zadran by the captain shifted the momentum in the game. “Rohit’s blows in the 17th and 18th over were the turned it around for us. Our batting is very flexible. Anybody can bat anywhere,” he said.
The allrounder further praised the bowling efforts of his side and lauded the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan, who bowled economical spells in the match. “I thought they (Bumrah and McClenaghan) were exceptional in powerplay overs. Both used the variations to good effect. That proved vital for us,” he said.
“We did really well in restricting them to 174. The ground is a bit small and the wicket was nice to bat on, a bit on the slower side. So we were confident of chasing it,” he further added.
Mumbai Indians climbed up to the 5th position in the table after the victory and will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at home on May 6.