Deepak Hooda had a decent game with the bat but unfortunately for the man, he was at the wrong end of things right at the death in the second innings. With Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard in the middle, not many targets can seem like a mountain. However, on a track where runs were tough […]
Deepak Hooda had a decent game with the bat but unfortunately for the man, he was at the wrong end of things right at the death in the second innings. With Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard in the middle, not many targets can seem like a mountain. However, on a track where runs were tough to come by, Punjab Kings might’ve fancied their chances with 16 runs to get in the final 2 overs.
Mohammed Shami tried to work his out-of-off bluff a bit too many times and paid a big price for it. Shami had kept a strong field on the legside, preparing Hardik Pandya for a ball on the stumps, but bowled wide outside the off and pitched it short. With his pace, he managed to bluff Shami on three occasions and finally, he managed to get a boundary of the third delivery of the 19th over.
He scampered through for a double the following delivery and reduced the equation to 9 in 8 deliveries. He then managed to find the gap between midwicket and long-on, where Deepak Hooda’s failed attempt to stop the ball brought the equation under run a ball. However, what happened on the final ball of the 19th over was utterly disappointing for the Punjab fans and it summed up their entire season.
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Pandya smashed the ball straight to Hooda at long-on and he barely had to cover any distance to get into a catching position. However, he took too long to adjust to the height of the ball and it scraped through his hands, over the boundary. What could’ve set up an exciting final over the finish, turned out to be the winning moment for Mumbai and the defending champions won their first game after lockdown.
— Jabjabavas (@jabjabavas) September 28, 2021
Punjab batting first had lost four wickets very early in the game, and they needed some consolidation. Aiden Markram and Deepak Hooda provided that much-needed partnership for the side, with the duo adding 51 runs for the 5th wicket. Hooda hit a big six over mid-wicket against Boult and added 28 crucial runs for the side, helping them get to 135 runs.
