Mumbai beat Punjab by 23 runs for third consecutive win

Opening batsmen Lendl Simmons (71 in 56 balls) and Parthiv Patel (59 in 36 balls) helped Mumbai Indians (MI) register their third consecutive victory, beating Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 23 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here on Sunday.

Riding on the 111-run stand between Simmons and Parthiv, MI posted a challenging total of 172/3 in 20 overs at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium.

In reply, KXIP were never ahead of the game and eventually they were restricted to 149/7 in 20 overs. David Miller (37-ball 43) and Murali Vijay (34-ball 39) tried their best but they were not enough.

Following this defeat, KXIP slumped to their seventh loss of the season, while MI registered fourth victory in nine matches.

Earlier, after Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat, Simmons and Parthiv rose to the task and gave their team a perfect start with a 111-run stand.

Simmons and Parthiv played some delightful shots all around the carpet to set the ball rolling for the visitors. Parthiv showed his intent in the fifth over bowled by surprising first-change bowler Mitchell Johnson. The Indian collected 17 runs from the Australian left-arm seamer's first over.

Mumbai reached 51 in the first six overs of powerplay and the right-left combination duo continued to attack the Punjab bowlers.

As a result of their fireworks, Mumbai reached 100 in the fourth delivery of the 11th over. Especially, Parthiv batted with more aggression, hitting five fours and three sixes.

Leg-spinner Karanveer Singh (1/30) put the brakes on the rampaging Mumbai innings as Parthiv offered a catch to Murali Vijay.

At 111/1, skipper Mumbai joined Simmons in the middle and played a perfect foil to the West Indian. Rohit scored 26 in 20 deliveries before perishing against Johnson, who conceded 41 runs in his quota of four overs.

After putting his team in command, Simmons lost his wicket to right-arm medium pacer Anureet Singh. He hit nine fours and a six.

In reply to the target, KXIP got off to a poor start, losing destructive batsmen Virender Sehwag (2) and Glenn Maxwwell (12) early.

At 38/2 in the fifth over, left-hander Miller joined hands with Vijay and the duo put up a 48-run stand for the third wicket. But the partnership failed to give a boost to the scoring rate of the KXIP and when the pressure came, both of them perished.

Lasith Malinga accounted for both Miller and Sehwag to once again prove his mettle. Harbhajan Singh halted Vijay's innings and the fiesty off-spinner gave away only 27 runs in four overs to put his team on track.

Even though R. Vinay Kumar didn't pick any wickets, he conceded only 17 runs in three overs, while young Sucheeth picked 1/33.

Home team captain George Bailey was not given any weak deliveries as the Mumbai bowlers kept it tight from both the ends. Baily made 21 in 18 deliveries.

After wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha (12) and Axar Patel (0) ran themselves out, KXIP's hopes ended and they lost the match by 23 runs.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 172/3 in 20 overs (Lendl Simmons 71, Parthiv Patel 59; Karanveer Singh 1/30, Anureet Singh 1/30) beat Kings XI Punjab 149/7 in 20 overs (David Miller 43, Murali Vijay 39; Lasith Malinga 2/31, Harbhajan Singh 1/27).