In an IPL thriller, Mumbai Indians kept their playoff hopes alive with a sensational three-run win over Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede stadium.

Having been made to bat first, Mumbai put 186-8 on the board before Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational spell took them over the finish line despite a sublime knock of 94 from KL Rahul.

TYE’S BRILLIANT SPELL ROCKS MUMBAI IN POWERPLAY

Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-taker in the IPL by some distance coming into the match and he made sure that gap only widened after his latest performance.

Making excellent use of his lethal knuckle ball, Tye cleaned up Evin Lewis’ stumps with his very first delivery after coming on to bowl the fourth over of the powerplay. Conceding only two runs in that over, the Aussie bowled an even better subsequent one.

He dismissed Ishan Kishan with another knuckle-ball before having Suryakumar Yadav caught behind with his very next delivery. His two overs in the powerplay went for only five runs and fetched three wickets. Tye bowled two more excellent overs at the death while picking up one more wicket in the form of Hardik Pandya to finish with figures of 4-16.

POLLARD FINALLY ARRIVES TO THE PARTY

Eyebrows were raised when Mumbai dropped JP Duminy to reinstate Kieron Pollard in the line-up after the West Indies all-rounder had endured a horrendous individual campaign.

In the end, Pollard ended up repaying the faith bestowed upon him by Rohit Sharma with an explosive half-century. Mumbai had been reduced to 71-4 when Pollard walked in and the 31-year-old rolled back the clock as he inflicted some lusty blows to the Kings XI bowlers.

He notched up a 22-ball half-century with the help of five boundaries and three sixes before being dismissed by Ashwin. His entertaining cameo though had given the hosts a fighting chance by the time it came to an end.

BUMRAH THWARTS KL RAHUL AND PUNJAB

In-form KL Rahul looked like he was single-handedly going to drag Kings XI to victory with his sixth half-century in this year’s IPL. His 111-run partnership for the second wicket with Aaron Finch looked to be enough to ensure a Punjab victory but then Jasprit Bumrah turned it around with an exceptional spell of death bowling.

After an economical first over in the powerplay, Bumrah returned at the death like a man possessed as he removed Finch and Marcus Stoinis in the same over. In the last over of his brilliant spell, the Mumbai pacer had Rahul caught at long-off for 94 to deliver the final nail in the coffin for Punjab.

Ultimately, Bumrah’s spell of 3-15 in four overs was the difference between the two sides as Mumbai kept their playoff hopes alive.