Stoinis bowling takes Punjab to victory
Marcus Stoinis was man-of-the-match for the Punjab Kings XI. (AFP)
A star effort with the ball from man-of-the-match Marcus Stoinis has helped Kings XI Punjab to a seven-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians.
The Australian allrounder collected four wickets in his four overs, costing only 15 runs as his side restricted Mumbai to 9-124 in the first innings of Friday's Indian Premier League match at Visakhapatnam.
After Nitish Rana (25) and Jos Buttler (9) were caught earlier, Stoinis struck twice more in his final over to remove Krunal Pandya (19) and Kieron Pollard (27) in consecutive deliveries.
Combined with the bowling efforts of Sandeep Sharma (2-11-4), Stoinis's performance set up an elementary run-chase for bottom-of-the-table Punjab.
Fellow Aussie Glenn Maxwell was unable to help with the bat, caught for a duck off a Pollard ball, Murali Vijay (54 not out) and Wriddhiman Saha (56) put on the top knocks of the match to take Punjab over the line at 3-127 with 18 balls remaining.
Speaking after the match, Stoinis said the wicket had suited his bowling.
"It was a blessing in disguise that we got to chase. Team effort for sure, all bowlers bowled well. Great start."
