Vijay Hazare Trophy: Punjab In Trouble As Abhishek Sharma Out For 8 Against Mumbai, Early Wicket Puts Pressure On Middle Order

Abhishek Sharma: In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy Round 7 match between Punjab and Mumbai, Punjab started off with a set back after the captain Abhishek Sharma was dismissed scoring only 8 runs against the fierce Mumbai bowling attack. The Punjab captain was out for next to nothing after facing eight deliveries thus putting the team in trouble right at the start and the courts of the middle order to recover was placed instantaneously.With the very top batters failing to create any partnerships, Punjab’s innings were very slow from the beginning and thus giving Mumbai an early lead in this important group stage match. 

Abhishek Sharma: Punjab Vs Mumbai, Vijay Hazare Trophy

With Abhishek Sharma back in the locker room early, Punjab’s batting order boarded a difficult train to a ‘scored’ total that was at least, equal to ‘treated’ Mumbai’s disciplined attack. Prabhsimran Singh could only manage 5 runs off 7 balls before being caught out, and others like Anmolpreet Singh and the middle order were not able to fully take advantage of the situation, although they did try to contribute. Mumbai’s bowlers were always in control and everywhere with their tight lines and field placements coming from everywhere around the batsmen, they held the batsmen off from their comfort zones and regular wickets were forced. This early collapse put Punjab in a very difficult position and thus the match was tilted significantly in favour of Mumbai as they were already looking to qualify for the quarter-finals by keeping their hopes alive.

Shreyas Iyer In Mumbai

Mumbai got a huge confidence boost from the early breakthrough and they planned to take control of the match from then on. With players of the caliber of Shreyas Iyer already securing the batting order in other matches this season, Mumbai came in with a very nice mix in their team that could take advantage of Punjab’s weaknesses. The middle and lower order of Punjab were under pressure as the chase progressed, which was the reason partnerships became so important in List A cricket. The group stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is coming to an end and wins with good run rates will be very important for teams like Mumbai and Punjab that are still in the race for the knockout stage.

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