Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in Match 23 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. They move up to third place on the points table with three wins in five games, while the MI, with five defeats on the trot, languish at the bottom place.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have been playing fearsome cricket since the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Their outing against Mumbai Indians (MI) was no different as well, as the Mayank Agarwal-led side piled up 198/5 after being asked to bat. Mayank led from the front, scoring 52 off 32 balls, while his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan scored 70 off 50 balls. Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan chipped in with handy contributions as well, scoring 15-ball 30 and six-ball 15 not out respectively.

Coming to defend, the PBKS bowling unit, led by Odean Smith, restricted the star-studded MI batting line-up to 186/9 at the end of the innings. Speaking about the outcome, the PBKS skipper Mayank, at the post-match presentation, was pleased with the way they performed against the five-time IPL champions. The 31-year-old, who seemed to be out of touch in their previous outings, was happy with his latest performance as well.

“It was a good night, very happy to contribute to the team’s win. The crucial thing for us was the two points. We can’t just say it was runs on the board, this game had a lot of ups and downs. There were a lot of crucial moments and more often than not, we were nailing and winning those moments, Mayank said at the post-match presentation after winning the Player of the Match award.

“It wasn’t batting alone, it was periods in the game. That’s the brand of cricket we want to play, we want to play aggressive, hard cricket. With that, we got to show good mindset. We were a lot smarter as well.”

The PBKS will next meet Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday (April 17) at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.