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Mumbai: Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer struck their second successive half-centuries and shared a 139-run partnership for the third wicket as Punjab Kings cruised to a seven-wicket win with 21 balls to spare against Mumbai Indians in Match 24 of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Iyer read the pitch correctly and opted to field first on a wicket that had a slight tinge of grass and offered some assistance to pacers. With Mumbai deciding to rest Rohit Sharma due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the previous match, Quinton de Kock stepped into the opener’s role and carried his bat through for his first century of IPL 2026. He smashed 112 not out off 60 balls, while Naman Dhir contributed 50 off 31 balls to help Mumbai Indians reach 195/6 after slumping to 12/2 in the third over.

However, their efforts were overshadowed by Prabhsimran and Iyer, who batted brilliantly to guide PBKS to victory.

The duo, who had also scored half-centuries in the win over Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier, once again anchored the chase. Prabhsimran hammered 80 not out off 39 balls, while Iyer scored 66 off 35 deliveries, as PBKS reached 198/3 in 16.3 overs.

While it was Prabhsimran’s second fifty of IPL 2026, Iyer registered his third successive half-century of the tournament. This knock would be particularly satisfying for him as it came at his home ground and against a team featuring multiple members of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad, from which he was overlooked.

With this win, PBKS surged to the top of the points table with nine points, while Mumbai Indians remained on two points from one win and four defeats.

Chasing a target of 196, Punjab Kings got off to a steady start, with Priyansh Arya (15) and Cooper Connolly (17) adding 45 runs for the opening wicket. Impact substitute AM Ghazanfar dismissed both batters to briefly raise Mumbai’s hopes.

However, Prabhsimran and Iyer steadied the innings with a match-winning partnership, capitalizing on Mumbai’s fielding lapses, including three dropped catches.

Prabhsimran was in sublime form, playing shots all around the ground and timing the ball sweetly. He got an early reprieve when Jasprit Bumrah dropped a straightforward chance off Hardik Pandya.

He struck back-to-back boundaries early on, followed by a six and a four off Deepak Chahar, and continued to attack, hitting Hardik Pandya and others for regular boundaries. He brought up his fifty off just 23 balls, putting PBKS firmly in control.

Iyer complemented him well, initially playing the anchor before accelerating later. He reached his half-century in 31 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.

With 35 needed off 36 balls, Iyer struck Bumrah for a couple of boundaries before smashing Shardul Thakur for consecutive sixes. Though he was eventually dismissed for 66 off 35 balls — with five fours and four sixes — the result was all but sealed.

Earlier, asked to bat first, Mumbai rode on a brilliant innings by de Kock and looked set to cross 200 before PBKS pulled things back.

With Rohit Sharma unavailable, Mumbai had a poor start, slumping to 12/2 as Arshdeep Singh struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Rickelton and India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav for a first-ball duck.

Rickelton (2) was caught at deep backward square leg, becoming Arshdeep’s 100th IPL wicket. The left-arm pacer soon made it 101 wickets when Suryakumar Yadav drove one straight to Yuzvendra Chahal.

De Kock then took charge, stitching together a crucial partnership with Naman Dhir. The duo accelerated after the power-play and maintained a brisk scoring rate.

The South African opener, who was playing his first match of the season, brought up his century off 53 balls, hitting seven fours and seven sixes. He had earlier reached his fifty in 28 balls and was particularly aggressive against Yuzvendra Chahal.

Dhir, promoted to No. 4, made the most of his opportunity, scoring a well-compiled fifty and supporting de Kock effectively.

Despite their efforts, Mumbai fell short of the 200-run mark. Hardik Pandya’s brief innings (14 off 12) ended with a spectacular relay catch initiated by Iyer near the boundary — one of the standout moments of the match.

Mumbai’s fielding, however, let them down, with three dropped catches proving costly. Bumrah endured another difficult outing, going wicketless and dropping a crucial chance.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 195/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 112 not out, Naman Dhir 50; Arshdeep Singh 3-22) lost to Punjab Kings 198/3 in 16.3 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 80 not out, Shreyas Iyer 66; AM Ghazanfar 2-31) by seven wickets.

(DD News)