Mumbai, May 3
Kolkata Knight Riders bowling unit performed in unison to win a battle of attrition against five-time champions Mumbai Indians by 24 runs in their IPL match here today.
0 The number of worse scores by the end of the 13th over than Mumbai Indians 91/6 at the Wankhede this year
If KKR batters were guilty of not working out their game plan in the first half to be bowled out for just 169 with Venkatesh Iyer contributing 70, MI’s underperforming batters stood no chance on a tricky wicket which demanded both application and patience.
They were all out for 145 in 18.5 overs and are practically out of the competition which has been a nightmare for Hardik Pandya.
It was KKR’s first away win in Mumbai after12 years and last time they won here, their principal owner Shah Rukh Khan was embroiled in an argument with security staff which led to his ban from the venue for next three years.
That year KKR won the trophy, while this win took them to 14 points and kept them in contention for a finish among the first two teams.
Despite Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant fifty, MI were shot out for 145 in 18.5 overs chasing 170, found wanting with the bat once again as Mitchell Starc (3.5-0-33-4) cleaned up the tail for KKR’s seventh win in 10 matches.
Until he top edged one off a full toss from Andre Russell (2/30), Suryakumar appeared to be proving the difference between the two sides with a top quality knock which brought MI back from the brink.
With six fours and two sixes, Suryakumar made 56 off 35 balls in an innings that kept MI’s hopes alive.
Suryakumar also brought the equation down enough for his side to get over the line after they were reduced to 71/6 at one stage.
But none of the MI batters could build on it as KKR ran away with the game with a flurry of wickets towards the end.
MI skipper and India vice-captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup Pandya walked out to loud boos once again at his home turf after scoring just one run.
Also impressive were KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, producing identical figures of 4-0-22-2 to keep the MI batters under the pump.
“We got to a commendable total. I told the boys that if we have got here, we can defend it. Spinners were unreal, absolutely spot on in executing their lines and lengths. Kudos to them!” KKR captain Shreyas Iyer said after the match.
Brief scores
KKR: 169 all out in 19.5 overs (Iyer 70, Pandey 42; Bumrah 3/18, Thushara 3/42) vs MI: 145 all out in 18.5 overs (Suryakumar 56; Starc 4/33, Chakravarthy (2/22), Narine(2/22)
Thursday’s result
SRH: 201/3 (Reddy 76*, Head 58; Avesh 2/39) vs RR: 200/7 (Parag 77, Jaiswal 67; Bhuvneshwar 3/41, Cummins 2/34)
A win-win situation
Bengaluru: From a mathematical perspective, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans can still reach the IPL playoffs, but they need to keep their nerve tomorrow to notch a mandatory win to keep that dream alive. RCB are at the bottom of the points table with six points from 10 matches, while GT are placed eighth with eight points from 10 matches. They have also found new heroes across these two games ndash; Will Jacks powered his way to a match-winning century against GT, while Cameron Green finally lived up to his tag of all-rounder with crucial runs and wickets against Hyderabad. I think it (the hundred) has sunken in. There’s been a lot of talk about it, but I think it’s time to reassess and come in hard for another game tomorrow,” Jacks said today. PTI