Maxwell clobbers 89 to help Mohali beat Jaipur

Glenn Maxwell's 89 runs from just 45 balls helped Mohali recover from a sluggish start to beat Jaipur by seven wickets in the Indian T20 league on Sunday.

After being put in to bat, Jaipur's batsmen impressed and raced to fifty runs in the sixth over. Captain Shane Watson and Sanju Samson led their charge and scored brisk fifties. The pair helped their side mount 191 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Mohali got off to a poor start and were reduced to 10 for 2 in the third over. Virender Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha's departure pegged them back but it brought Maxwell and Cheteshwar Pujara - two batsmen with contrasting styles - together.

It took Maxwell just an over to cut loose as he hit Kane Richardson for a six and a four in the fifth over. The hard-hitting Australian smashed three more sixes in the next two overs.

While Pujara took a more sedate approach to the chase, Maxwell continued to attack. He brought up his fifty from just 28 balls. Once there, he stepped on the gas further and clobbered four boundaries off Dhawal Kulkarni in the 12th over and two sixes off Rajat Bhatia in the 13th.

Maxwell was dismissed an over later but his innings had set the tone for the chase.

Jaipur's bowlers then seized the initiative with some tight bowling that prompted the asking rate to exceed the 12-run mark. Just when it looked difficult for Mohali, David Miller exploded. He clubbed Kulkarni for four sixes in the 18th over and then James Faulkner for another in the 19th to end the chase.

"I would not say pay back [for sitting on the bench at Mumbai Indians last season]," Maxwell said. "Mumbai had a pretty good side last year. I had to bide my time.

"I have a plan for each ball, just try and hit different gaps. Depending on the field they set, I know where the ball is going to be. It worries me more that I was not there at the end to hit the winning runs, that was a job half-finished."