Punjab Kings’ head coach Ricky Ponting showered praise on fast bowler Arshdeep Singh after his match-turning spell helped restrict Mumbai Indians to 195 at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night. Arshdeep finished with three wickets, including a first breakthrough that marked his 100th IPL wicket, as Punjab went on to chase down the target comfortably.
Key takeaways
- Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket haul was pivotal in keeping Mumbai Indians to 195 at Wankhede Stadium.
- His first wicket of the night became his 100th IPL scalp.
- Punjab chased 196 with seven wickets in hand and 21 balls remaining.
- Prabhsimran Singh’s 80* off 39 balls, supported by Shreyas Iyer’s 66 off 35, made the chase look routine.
- Ponting highlighted how Arshdeep’s early overs swung the contest by forcing Mumbai onto the back foot.
Arshdeep’s early strikes set the tone
Ponting felt the decisive factor came from how relentlessly Arshdeep attacked right from the start. In the second over, he struck twice in quick succession, removing South African Ryan Rickelton and then India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav off consecutive deliveries. Ponting singled out the moment involving Yadav, describing how Arshdeep drew him into a drive only for the batter to be caught at short third.
As the innings progressed, Arshdeep continued to find the right areas and, late on, dismissed West Indies batter Sherfane Rutherford. The wicket came courtesy of a superb yorker that left the hitter with no viable response.
Ponting’s celebration message and Prabhsimran’s finishing touch
With Punjab chasing 196, Ponting believed Arshdeep’s spell at the beginning of the innings shaped the outcome in a big way. He also credited the bowler’s ability to swing the ball and immediately put Mumbai under pressure.
“We talk about people setting the tone; the way Arsh set the tone in the first over, swung the ball around, and put them on the back foot was exceptional,” Ponting said during the celebrations after the match.
Ponting further added that Arshdeep had been working through a difficult phase, while the rest of the squad did not view it the same way. He said the effort put in during the previous couple of days was rewarded with an immediate impact on the night, including the early wickets and the way Arshdeep returned to do what he typically does at the end of an innings.
After Arshdeep’s role in tightening the contest, Prabhsimran Singh emerged as the standout in the chase. He smashed 80 not out from 39 balls and turned the pursuit into a near-formality. Shreyas Iyer, the captain, provided strong support with a 66-run knock off 35 deliveries.
Ponting praised Prabhsimran for his composure and shot selection, noting that despite not receiving much strike during the Powerplay, he carried out most of the scoring later. He described the opener as calm, calculated, and highly effective throughout the innings, saying Prabhsimran was batting as well as he had ever seen him play.
“The batting, I’m not starting to run out of appreciation for what we’re doing, but dear, we’re batting well. Prabh, I need to praise you because you didn’t get a lot of strike during the Powerplay. Most of your hard work had to be done outside of it, but you were so skillful, so calm, and so calculating. You're batting as well as I've ever seen you bat,” the former Australia captain said, referencing his back-to-back World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007.
