3 positives for PBKS from their loss against MI

The Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets in a high-scoring thriller at Mohali. As a result, MI climbed to the 6th spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) standings while PBKS slipped to the 7th place.

Batting first, PBKS posted a mighty total of 214/3 at the end of their 20 overs. The PBKS batting effort was headlined by Liam Livingstone (82* runs off 42 balls) and Jitesh Sharma (49* runs off 27 balls). The duo were well-supported by a fine cameo from Shikhar Dhawan. For MI, Piyush Chawla (4 - 0 - 29 - 2) was once again the star performer.

In reply, MI were off to a shaky start, losing Captain Rohit Sharma in the first and Cameron Green in the sixth over, respectively. The side recovered through the swashbuckling half-centuries of Ishan Kishan (75 runs off 41 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (66 runs off 31 balls). After their dismissal, the final few fireworks were provided by Tim David (19* runs off 10 balls) and Tilak Varma (26* runs off 10 balls).

PBKS had a difficult day with the ball and failed to convert their spectacular batting effort into a crucial win at the business end of the match.

On that note, let us focus on three positives for PBKS from their loss against MI.

#1 Liam Livingstone unleashes carnage on MI bowlers

Liam Livingstone (82* runs off 42 balls), showed yet again why he is one of the best T20 batters in the world and that a big score was always around the corner for him. Livingstone started slowly but unleashed himself on the MI bowlers from the 15th over onwards. He was particularly unkind to his English teammate Jofra Archer, smashing him for three consecutive sixes in the 19th over.

In his knock, Livingstone struck seven boundaries and four maximums and batted at an excellent strike-rate of 195.24. In the last three games, he has scored of 82*, 40 and 23. The PBKS management will be happy with his batting form and will want to continue delivering such performances on a consistent basis.

#2 Jitesh Sharma continues to shine for PBKS

Young Jitesh Sharma has truly announced himself in this edition of the IPL. Playing against his former side, Jitesh Sharma (49* runs off 27 balls), fell agonizingly short of a well-deserved half-century. The youngster started the onslaught for PBKS in the second half of their batting innings, taking apart Jofra Archer in the 13th over.

The youngster stuck five boundaries and two sixes in a knock which came at a fantastic strike-rate of 181.48. In 10 matches this year, Sharma has scored 239 runs at an average of 26.56 and a strike-rate of 165.97. The 29-year old seems like a bright prospect and might be able to dream of an Indian cap if he continues his fine displays in the IPL.

#3 Nathan Ellis and Rishi Dhawan impress with the ball

Rishi Dhawan (3 - 0 - 20 - 1) bowled a fine opening spell for PBKS. The experienced bowling all-rounder dismissed opposition captain Rohit Sharma for a duck in the very first over of the game. In his first two overs, he gave away just three runs. Bowling at an economy rate of just 6.67 in the Powerplay and dismissing the world-class Rohit Sharma, Dhawan did a more than fine job for his side.

Nathan Ellis continued his impressive run in the IPL this season with another fine spell against a quality MI line-up. On a day when his team's lead pacers Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran went at 13.67 and 17.22 runs an over, Ellis bowled his four overs for just 34 runs and picked up the crucial wickets of the dangerous Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav.

He conceded just 8.50 runs an over while bowling in the Powerplay and at the death. In six matches, he has picked up an impressive nine wickets. His economy rate is on the higher side at 9.27 but it must be noted that he plays half of his games at the batting-friendly Mohali wicket.

With that, we complete our piece on three positives for PBKS from their loss against MI. Can you think of any other positive for PBKS? Let us know in the comments section below.