Rohit Sharma reaches IPL milestone as Mumbai Indians overcome Kings XI
Mumbai Indians stormed to a convincing win over Kings XI Punjab, with Rohit Sharma surpassing 5,000 IPL runs in the process.
Rohit Sharma passed 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League as Mumbai Indians returned to winning ways in style, recording a 48-run victory over Kings XI Punjab in Abu Dhabi.
India batsman Rohit surpassed the milestone with the very first ball he faced, clipping a wide outswinger from Mohammed Shami through the cover region.
It set the tone for a sublime innings, with the right-hander reaching 70 off 45 balls, striking eight boundaries and three sixes.
A late flurry from Kieron Pollard (47), set Kings XI a target of 192 ? a total they never threatened to reach despite the efforts of Nicholas Pooran, who scored 44 on the eve of his 25th birthday.
Mumbai ? who lost their last match following a super over ? saw Quinton de Kock depart for a duck from the fifth delivery of the game.
Rohit swiftly set about taking the initiative, and struck two fours from the second over, before he successfully overturned a leg before wicket decision after the technology deemed Shami's delivery was heading down the leg side.
When Pollard was positive from the outset on his arrival at the crease, Rohit stepped up, hitting 21 off a James Neesham over, while four sixes in the 20th helped the Indians reach 191-4.
Kings XI began speedily enough in response, yet the first of two Jasprit Bumrah wickets saw Mayank Agarwal removed for 25 in the fifth over.
Pooran was soon at the crease and tallied three fours and two maximums, although captain and opener KL Rahul could not stick around to provide a steady partner, departing for 17.
Glenn Maxwell helped Pooran take the chasing side past 100, but Kings XI's star man perished when James Pattinson found his outside edge, a huge wicket that left the West Indian's team-mates with too much to do as three were out for single figures.
ROHIT PUNISHES NEESHAM
It was a torrid day with the ball for Neesham, who finished with figures of 0-52 from four overs.
Neesham attempted successive yorkers in the costly 16th over, with Rohit dispatching both of them to the boundary, yet things got worse when the Mumbai skipper pulled the next delivery over square for six, with the fifth ball of the over also heading over the ropes.
NO PARTY FOR POORAN
It looked for a brief time as though Pooran might be about to have a birthday to remember as he threatened a fightback.
He did the heavy lifting in partnerships of 21 with Rahul and then 41 with Maxwell, yet his departure in the 14th over sparked a collapse as those further down the order failed to pack the same punch.
