Amla's maiden century, Maxwell's cameo decimate Mumbai, Kings XI post 198 for 4

Photo: BCCI New Delhi: Hashim Amla and Glenn Maxwell took Mumbai Indians bowlers to the cleaners as Kings XI Punjab posted for 198 for 4 at the end of 20 overs in Indore. Opening the batting, Amla registered his maiden T20 century with a strike rate off 173.33. He batted through the innings and remained unbeaten on 104 off 60 balls. At one stage Kings XI looked well on course to go past 200 but a timely couple of wickets and some brilliant death bowling by Jasprit Bumrah restricted the hosts. But it was Amla all the way on a placid batting track at the Holker Stadium. He took apart Mumbai Indians’ most potent weapon Lasith Malinga by hitting him for sixes and fours at will. He alone hit Malinga for 51 runs – the second most by a batsman against a particular bowler in IPL. The Sri Lankan death over specialist was way off target as his attempted slower ones and yorkers disappeared more often than not to different parts of the ground. Malinga gave away 58 runs in his 4 overs. If Amla took Malinga apart, Maxwell decided to blunt Mumbai’s another trusted steward, Mitchell McClenaghan. Maxwell hit McClenaghan for 28 in the 15th over by clobbering him for 3 sixes and 2 fours. Maxwell played a whirlwind innings of 40 off 18 balls. Amla backed up Maxwell’s effort by taking 16 runs off the following Malinga over. If it wasn’t for Jaspirt Bumrah, who gave away only 30 runs when all others were sent on a leather hunt, Punjab would have ended up with a colossal total. It was he who deceived Maxwell with a slower one to knock over his off stump. If Mumbai Indians bowling was below par, then Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was even more baffling. Only he knows why he did not complete Harbhajan’s full quota, who had given only given away 12 runs in his 2 overs.