In the second straight game, the amazing pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer blasted half-centuries apiece and shared another vital partnership as they helped Punjab Kings defeat the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in Match 24 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Thursday at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

PBKS defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad a few days earlier, thanks to half-centuries from Prabhsimran and Shreyas Iyer. On Thursday, they dominated yet another chase, with Prabhsimran hitting 80 not out off 39 deliveries and Shreyas Iyer scoring 66 off 35 as PBKS reached 198/3 in 16. 3 overs after inserting the Mumbai Indians in and limiting them to 195/6 despite a scintillating unbeaten century by Quinton de Kock (112) and a fifty by Naman Dhir.

Iyer hit his third consecutive half-century of the competition, but this one would be more gratifying for him because it came at his home stadium and against a team that included three members of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup, for which he was not selected. Meanwhile, Prabhsimran scored his second fifty of IPL 2026.

Their 139-run partnership for the third wicket guaranteed PBKS won the game with 21 balls left, giving them their fourth victory in five games and keeping them undefeated. The Mumbai Indians are still sitting at two points after one victory and four losses, while PBKS has risen to the top of the standings with nine points thanks to this triumph.

The Punjab Kings were attempting to score 196, which was a difficult target, but they lost their opening batsman, Priyansh Arya, early after Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah bowled the first two overs.

However, the Mumbai Indians got the breakthrough when Arya blasted the ball off the leg stump straight to Chahar at midwicket, thanks to the addition of AM Ghazanfar, who came in as an impact player in place of Suryakumar Yadav. With the team score reading 27/1, he hit 15 off of 9 balls (2×4, 1×6).

After a brief stint, Cooper Connolly smashed one four and two sixes before edging it behind to Quinton de Kock off Ghazanfar.

However, captain Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh saved them from the precarious situation by forging a century stand for the third wicket that set them on the path to triumph.

Prabhsimran was in top shape, hitting shots all over the field, timing the ball flawlessly, and maintaining the chase as he recorded his second consecutive fifty. When Jasprit Bumrah missed an easy opportunity off Hardik Pandya, he had a stroke of luck early in the game.

Prabhsimran began the match by hitting consecutive boundaries against Chahar in the first over, then followed that up with a six and a four against the pacer in the eighth over; smashed Hardik Pandya for consecutive boundaries in the 10th over, and blasted the MI captain for a four and a six in the 14th over.

As PBKS approached the mark, he was also given boundaries as he reached his fifty off 23 balls, along with Ghazanfar and Shardul Thakur.

He replicated his successful strategy against Iyer a few days after doing the same against SRH. Iyer, who made a spectacular catch to get rid of his opponent, supported his partner well in the beginning before hitting some outstanding strokes near the conclusion of his innings, reaching his half-century in 31 deliveries and smashing two sixes and five fours.

Iyer hit Bumrah for a few boundaries when PBKS needed 35 runs off of 36 balls, and then in the 16th over, after Naman Dhir dropped him in deep, he smashed Shadrul Thakur for sixes off consecutive balls. When they brought an end to Iyer’s outstanding innings, Dhir and Shardul had the last laugh.

Despite his previous blunder, Dhir made a fantastic catch, but by then, the game was practically over. Iyer hit 66 runs off 35 pitches, including four sixes and five fours.

The game concluded with Prabhsimran leading PBKS to victory with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls and Marcus Stoinis at his side with an unbeaten 10, as PBKS remained undefeated in five games.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 195/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 112 not out, Naman Dhir 50; Arshdeep Singh 3-22)
Punjab Kings 198/3 in 16.3 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 80 not out, Shreyas Iyer 66; AM Ghazanfar 2-31)