Johnson gets his swing back

Having relied on bounce and sheer pace for most of his career, Mitchell Johnson says he's been pleasantly surprised by his ability to add swing to his repertoire in the early stages of the Indian Premier League.

Johnson's haul of 2-23 was the cornerstone of Kings XI Punjab's victory over the Ricky Ponting-coached Mumbai Indians on Sunday night, with the left-armer at one stage having figures of 2-6 from three overs.

His early burst included the wicket of World Cup-winning teammate Aaron Finch, who lost his off-stump when a brilliant in-swinger from Johnson burst through an expansive attempted drive.

Johnson, Bailey star for Kings XI

The quick's early spell helped reduce Mumbai to 5-46 in pursuit of Punjab's 177 before Harbhajan Singh and IPL debutant Jagadeesha Suchith opened their shoulders late in the innings, hitting Johnson for two sixes and a four in his final over.

Johnson took 15 wickets at 21 in Australia's Cup campaign without managing much lateral movement - especially compared to his opening partner Mitchell Starc - so his ability to swing the ball in Indian conditions has come as somewhat as a surprise.

And in an ominous sign for batsmen around the IPL, the 33-year-old says finding swing is simply an added bonus to the pace and bounce that continues to be his most valuable assets.

"That was a brilliant start, but like I said I could have finished off the last over well," Johnson told iplt20.com.

"I hadn’t swung the ball through the whole World Cup but all of a sudden I am here swinging the ball again.

"Swinging the ball is not something that I aim to do but it does feel nice when the ball swings.

"But, it is more about the bounce that I really get excited about. It is just a bonus that the ball is swinging for me."

Johnson has vast experience in Indian conditions; apart from his time in the IPL, he's played seven Tests and 25 one-day internationals during his 10 years in the national team.

The last time he represented Australia in India was in 2013 for the seven-match ODI series that preceded his stunning performance in the 2013-14 Ashes series.

He took seven wickets at 33 with an economy of 5.68 in that series, an impressive display given nine of the 11 completed innings saw teams score more than 300 on surfaces perfect for batting.

But he found conditions to his liking at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, as he did at the MCA International Stadium in Pune for Punjab's opening match against Rajasthan Royals.

"I have got good memories of playing here (in Mumbai) with the ball doing a little bit," Johnson said.

"It is a nice change. You don’t normally see too much grass in India. To be able to see it here and see the ball swing and do a little bit off the wicket is nice. It suits our bowling at the moment.

"Our past experiences here helped us. We knew we get a bit of dew and moisture around and it tends to do a little bit later on in the night.

"It was still doing a little bit late in the game. I think we have seen that when we were in Pune as well, the ball was still swinging and there was enough in the wicket.

"Maybe that is going to be the theme of all the wickets in India in the IPL. We have some good bowlers who can swing the ball upfront and we have got the spinners to back it up. The wicket is really helping."