INDORE: Mumbai Indians handed Kings XI Punjab a fourth straight loss with a crushing eight-wicket win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

Terrific half-centuries by opener Jos Buttler then Nitish Rana for Mumbai trumped Hashim Amla's maiden Twenty20 century.

Mumbai's fifth win from six matches came after it scored 199-2 in 15.3 overs, gunning down Kings XI's 198-4.

Buttler and Parthiv Patel made a cracking start for Mumbai. The first five overs went for 10-11-13-17-17.

Patel fell first, mistiming a ball wide of off stump. He was out for 37 off 18 balls at 81-1.

Buttler was on 40. He slowed for one over, to let Rana settle, then zoomed off again.

Only two overs in the first 10 netted single figures. But by the 13th over, Mumbai's runs needed was less than the balls remaining.

Buttler was out at the start of the 14th over, slicing Mohit Sharma. He made 77 off 37 balls, including fives sixes and seven boundaries.

He'd set it up for Rana and Hardik Pandya to finish off.

Rana got to his fourth half-century of the campaign, and his seventh six concluded the match. His unbeaten 62 from 34 balls included no boundaries. Pandya was 15 not out.

Kings XI was made to bat first, and Amla was dropped on 3, a tough chance.

Shaun Marsh's exit for 26 at 46-1 caused Kings XI's run rate to drop from eight-plus to below seven, and the home side failed to hit double figures in an over from the fourth to the 10th.

Not until captain Glenn Maxwell joined Amla did Kings XI get back on track. They plundered 28 from medium-pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, and 22 from fast bowler Lasith Malinga. Those 50 runs from two overs gave Kings XI a significant boost.

Maxwell fell for 40 and Amla reached the last over on 90. He hit successive sixes off Malinga to reach his century, and finished on 104 not out off 60 balls, included six sixes and eight boundaries. He scored 51 runs off Malinga.

READ ALSO:

• Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs in IPL