Peterson, Rayudu pickpocket Kings XI Punjab

Robin Peterson borrowed shots from his namesake, Kevin Pietersen, as he played a cameo punctuated with switch hits on his IPL debut to snatch victory for the Mumbai Indians. Peterson scored 15 runs off four balls in the penultimate over and Ambati Rayudu smacked two sixes to cost Kings XI 27 runs. The pair took Mumbai from a position where victory seemed unlikely, with 32 runs needed of 12 balls, to where it became an obvious conclusion with only five runs to get in the last over.
After allowing Kings XI Punjab to post their highest total in IPL 2012 with a bowling effort that was dominated by deliveries that were too short, Mumbai were favourites to win when Rohit Sharma was at the crease, marching to his half-century. Parvinder Awana swung the pendulum back towards Kings XI with a double strike in his final over – the 18th – in which he removed both Sharma and Harbhajan Singh. Peterson and Rayudu had the final say though, as they ravaged the 19th over and prevented Kings XI from completing the home and away double against Mumbai this season.
A half-century from David Hussey, who starred in an 89-run fourth-wicket partnership with David Miller, took Kings XI Punjab to a respectable total on a slow pitch. The pair took 88 runs off the last seven overs, to make up for a slow start for Kings XI to take them to their highest total of the season.
Mumbai Indians’ attack bowled inconsistent lengths and often veered on the side of too short. When they adjusted to bowl a more challenging, fuller length, they often missed and ended up offering juicy full tosses to undo their good work upfront and allow Kings XI to post a competitive score.
Robin Peterson, who opened the bowling for South Africa in the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent, was tasked with doing it for Mumbai. He bowled a tidy first over but was not used for the rest of the innings.
Instead Harbhajan Singh initially rotated between three different bowlers from the end Peterson started but none of them had any success early on. Clint McKay and Munaf Patel both bowled too short for the surface. RP Singh was guilty of the same but made an important breakthrough when he removed Mandeep Singh after the opening stand had grown enough to be threatening.
Mandeep chased a wide ball and got a healthy outside edge to allow Dinesh Kartik to take a comfortable catch. The wicket caused Kings XI to hit a speedbump as Munaf bowled a maiden over to put them under even more pressure. McKay returned and claimed the wicket of Nitin Saini, who attempted to pull him over fine leg but took his eye off the ball and skied the ball to Munaf.
Having only scored 12 runs in four overs after Mandeep’s dismissal, Kings XI reached the halfway stage at 56 for 2 and needed to speed up. Harbhajan, who knows the Mohali ground well, prevented them from doing so until the last third of the innings.
He made a surprise move by bringing on James Franklin when he still had overs left from Peterson but it worked. Franklin bowled four good balls upfront, which yielded only four runs, before Marsh decided to take him on and failed. He attempted to slice a ball over the off-side but top-edged it to Harbhajan at cover, who took a swirling catch.
David Miller partnered Hussey in accelerating the Kings XI’s cause. Miller showed aggression from the get-go, when he pulled the second ball he faced, a short one from RP, through midwicket. Having seen short balls get punished, Kieron Pollard offered Hussey two more and was clubbed over mid-wicket and upper cut over third man.
Munaf seemed to have learned that the length needed to be fuller but in searching for yorkers, missed his length and dished out full tosses. Miller swiped him over long-on and Hussey did the same, to bring up a well-earned half-century. McKay copied Munaf and got the yorker right on occasion. Still, he did not survive the late assault from Hussey, who steered him third man and made room to hit him over his head for six. Munaf finished the innings having conceded back to back sixes off Miller, who ended unbeaten on 34 off 17 balls.
Scores: Mumbai Indians 171 for 6 (Sharma 50, Awana 3-39) beat Kings XI Punjab 168 for 3 (Hussey 68*, Miller 34*) by four wickets