Quinton de Kock’s brilliant century proved insufficient as Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer smashed explosive half-centuries to guide Punjab Kings to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 encounter at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Asked to bat first, de Kock hammered a spectacular unbeaten 112 off 60 deliveries to propel Mumbai Indians to 195 for six. De Kock built a crucial 122-run partnership off 68 balls with Naman Dhir (50) before contributing another 41 off 23 alongside captain Hardik Pandya (14). Arshdeep Singh (3/22) bagged three scalps, while Shashank Singh (1/19) grabbed one wicket. In pursuit of the target, Prabhsimran (80 not out off 39 deliveries) and captain Iyer (66 off 35 balls) combined for a decisive 139-run third-wicket partnership off 67 balls as Punjab reached the target in 16.3 overs. Allah Ghazanfar (2/31) claimed two wickets. Punjab Kings demonstrated powerful cricket with a mind-blowing victory over Mumbai Indians.
TOSS-
Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first.
PLAYING XI-
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):
Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer(c), Cooper Connolly, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Mayank Rawat, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah
MUMBAI INDIANS-
Apart from an initial aggressive burst against fellow South African Marco Jansen, de Kock remained subdued and largely away from strike during most of the remaining powerplay phase. He stood at 15 off 11 balls, having opened his account on return with a six, but never looked back once the field restrictions ended. By the tenth over, he had launched two maximums off Yuzvendra Chahal and collected two additional boundaries from Vijaykumar Vyshak to reach his 28-ball fifty. He brought up the century partnership with Dhir (50 off 31) through another massive hit against the leg-spinner. PBKS were compelled to turn to Shashank Singh, who promptly ended the 122-run alliance. Nevertheless, de Kock’s assault in the part-timer’s next over – back-to-back sixes on both sides of the ground – pushed the visitors into yet another bowling switch. A late batting collapse saw MI lose steam, ending at 195 – a total that seemed below-par considering the pitch conditions and the opener’s exceptional innings.
PUNJAB KINGS-
Aggressive, for the most part. The opening over yielded 21 runs as PBKS batters dismantled Deepak Chahar’s bowling. Jasprit Bumrah tightened things with a miserly five-run second over, and first-change Allah Ghazanfar capitalized with strikes in consecutive overs, dismissing the threatening Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly. Nevertheless, Shreyas Iyer partnered with an established Prabhsimran to maintain the boundary flow and help their team handle the demanding run rate through an attacking stand.
Following a subdued seventh over, MI recalled Chahar, but Prabhsimran seized the moment to relieve pressure with a six and boundary. Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, or Bumrah – no fast bowler was spared as the third-wicket duo accumulated 139 runs in merely 66 deliveries while the required rate steadily dropped. For seven straight overs from the 10th to 16th, the pair dispatched at least one delivery to the boundary (or beyond) within the initial couple of balls to establish control. Prabhsimran, who survived a drop by Bumrah on 11, completed a 24-ball fifty while Iyer reached his third consecutive half-century this season in 31 balls. The captain received another life shortly after, with Dhir getting fingertips to the ball before it crossed the rope. Following another consecutive six, Dhir made amends but his muted celebration revealed the match situation. PBKS needed just 12 runs with 4.3 overs remaining.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 195/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 112* off 60, Naman Dhir 50 off 31; Arshdeep Singh 3-22) lost to Punjab Kings 198/3 in 16.3 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 80* off 39, Shreyas Iyer 66 off 35; Allah Ghazanfar 2-31) by 7 wickets.
About the Author
