Dharamshala, May 14 (IANS) All-rounder Shardul Thakur said the Mumbai Indians (MI) focused on bowling hard lengths after the Power-play as he returned with an impressive four-wicket haul against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.

Despite strong knocks from Prabhsimran Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai, Punjab Kings finished with 200/8 in 20 overs after losing wickets regularly in the second half of the innings.

Thakur was the standout bowler for the Mumbai Indians, finishing with figures of 4-39 in his four overs. He dismissed Prabhsimran, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, and Marco Jansen to bring Mumbai back into the contest after Punjab’s strong start.

Speaking during the mid-innings break, Shardul said Mumbai changed their bowling plans once they understood the nature of the pitch. “I think after the power-play ended, we focused on pitch length because the pitch offered something. So we tried to bowl as much length as we possibly could,” he told the broadcasters.

Punjab Kings had reached 58/1 at the end of the powerplay with Prabhsimran attacking freely. The wicketkeeper-batter later scored 57 off 32 balls with six fours and four sixes before falling to Shardul in the 12th over.

The Mumbai pacer said he remained confident with his plans even after being hit for boundaries early in his spell. “I think in the first over, Prab tried some fancy shots and got rid of them. I felt two back-to-back boundaries off a length ball to square leg were good shots; they just found the gap. But you see, the length was working beautifully later on. So I didn't change much. Probably just tried to stay on the stumps,” Shardul explained.

Shardul also spoke about the team environment and said the players were trying to stay positive despite a difficult season. “Just trying to cheer up. I know we have not had the kind of season we would ideally want. But a huddle is something where we would like to create some energy and get the fun going. That reflects on the field more often. So it was more about fun,” he said.

The all-rounder added that conditions were currently good for bowling, though Mumbai were hoping for dew later in the evening while chasing the target. “The outfield was fine. There is not much dew right now. But later on, we are hoping there is some dew,” he added.

After Punjab lost quick wickets in the middle overs, Omarzai counterattacked with a rapid 38 off 17 deliveries, helping the hosts reach the 200-run mark. Deepak Chahar picked up two wickets, while Corbin Bosch and Raj Angad Bawa claimed one wicket each for Mumbai.

--IANS

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