IPL 2017, Match 51, MI v KXIP: CT Player of the Match - Wriddhiman Saha

A virtual quarter-final of sorts for the Kings XI Punjab required a mammoth effort to defeat the Mumbai Indians at their fortress they call the Wankhede Stadium. KXIP were in search of 2 points, which would keep them alive in the dying stages of the league phase. Up against a threatening Mumbai Indians side which seemed to gun down any target set in front of them, Wriddhiman Saha took centre stage to produce a masterful knock.

Promoted to open the batting for Punjab, Saha racked up 93 craftily scored runs off just 55 balls. The little man not only deserves a bow for coming good in a do-or-die game but also deserves the CT Player of the Match award for his spectacular innings.

Saha: In Dhoni’s shadow

Never is it easy to prosper as a wicketkeeper-batsman in a country that chants the name of MS Dhoni. His indelible presence in the national side has left the likes of Wriddhiman Saha short of opportunities to feature in limited overs cricket. Saha, however, has taken with both hands the opportunity to keep for India when they don all whites and has done a phenomenal job at that. Not only has he lived up to Dhoni’s high standards of keeping which have revolutionised work behind the stumps, but he has also made a mark for himself as a batsman. The Mumbai Indians on Thursday were on the receiving end of his batting prowess, which for some reason, has remained underestimated.

A steady start

Put in to bat first, New Zealand’s Martin Guptill got KXIP to a roaring start. The first four overs set the tone for a probable 200+ total, as the Kings XI Punjab raced to 51 without loss. Wriddhiman Saha played second fiddle to the big Kiwi batsman but soon took charge as Guptill departed for a quickfire 36. The wicketkeeper-batsman then stitched a swift partnership with skipper Glenn Maxwell, who struck the ball at a strike rate in excess of 220.

Maxwell was at it right from the word go, smashing 5 sixes in a span of 2 overs. However, as he perished to a ripper from Jasprit Bumrah, the onus was on Saha to carry the momentum forward.

Saha accelerates

The little man from Bengal brought up his fifty with an old-fashioned lift over mid-wicket, much to the amazement of the bowler Harbhajan Singh. The boundaries kept coming off Saha’s bat at regular intervals, as his individual score inched ahead. The shot of the day was perhaps Saha lifting a Malinga delivery over the long-off boundary with utmost ease. The Kings XI Punjab were on course towards registering the highest team total in this edition of the IPL.

Following Shaun Marsh’s departure, Saha was joined by Axar Patel, who played a handy knock in the middle order to propel the KXIP total over the 200 run mark. However, it was Saha who engineered a fantastic knock, piercing the gaps in almost every over for the ball to crash into the boundary ropes.

No century for Saha

With the scorecard reading 214, Saha began the final over of the innings with a slog over mid-wicket. That shot brought him into the 90s, much like the thrilling IPL final of 2014. However, the hundred eluded him on this occasion, as he finished 7 runs shy of yet another IPL century.

A brilliantly executed final over from Mohit Sharma meant the Kings XI Punjab will live to fight another day. It was nevertheless Saha who architected a towering ask of 231, which turned out to be just enough for KXIP to scrape to victory.