This match was about the two points, but it was also about settling that last-ball-heartbreak score against the Desert Vipers. And it’s been done in style, with a dominant, one-sided, NRR-boosting, 30-run win. What more, WE ARE OFFICIALLY THROUGH TO THE PLAY-OFFS. Here’s how the evening transpired.. 

The P madness: Perera at the start, Pooran at the end 

It was one of those rare days where Muhammad Waseem didn’t get off to a flier. But Kusal Perera wasn’t one to back down. Despite losing two early wickets, he mixed aggression with caution, for a solid 46-ball 65. And towards the end, came the Pooran show – 15 balls | 39 runs | 3 fours | 4 sixes. Suddenly MI Emirates were looking at a score of 188. 

Rayudu voodoo

He makes batting look incredibly simple. He said he hadn’t touched a cricket bat for six months before coming into this tournament. Surely he’s finding his rhythm now. He started off slowly and was on 11 off 21 balls at one stage, but upped the ante with back-to-back boundaries off Wanindu Hasaranga in the 13^th over, and more than made up for lost time, finishing with a 38-ball 44. The magic is starting! 

The game sealed in the powerplay

0/1, 9/2, 13/3, 16/4, 37/5, 45/6. The Vipers just weren’t allowed to get going. Akeal Hosein and Trent Boult striking in the powerplay is something we’ve gotten used to, and well, they did, inflicting the first two blows. And then Fazalhaq Farooqi got into the act, making sure they collapsed. Although the lower middle order and the tail hung around to play out their 20 overs, they were never in the chase with the asking rate well beyond their control. 

Six wins in eight games. It’s a serious campaign we’re having. And keeping with the trend of producing a new hero every game, Farooqi and Rayudu were happy to take the mantle forward. With 12 points already under our belt, let’s shift our focus to finishing in the top two!