The Mumbai Indians won their first game on the UAE soil as they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by 49 runs.
Walking out to chase 195, the KKR batsmen had no answers Mumbai’s troika of Trent Boult (2 for 30), James Pattinson (2 for 25) and Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 32) as they breathed fire. In the first five overs, they only managed 25 runs, losing both their openers in the process.
In a chase of approximately 200, four of KKR’s top six had strike rates of 100 or less, while none of them managed to breach the 135 mark. Pat Cummins (33 of 12) was the pick from amongst the KKR batsmen after walking in at number 8. At the end, KKR could only manage 146-9.
The task already seemed out of hand when 96 were needed of the last five, the hopes of a fightback rested on Andre Russell and Eoin Morgan’s reputations. But Jasprit Bumrah, brushing aside all the talks of him being out of form, accounted for both of them in a span of 4 deliveries as he came out to bowl the 16th. At that point in the game, his figures read 3-0-5-2.
In the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is still not ready to bowl, Rohit rotated his bowlers brilliantly as MI managed to get wickets at all crucial junctures.
Put in to bat after losing the toss, Mumbai Indians put up a brilliant display of batting as the skipper Rohit Sharma (80 of 54) and Suryakumar Yadav (47 of 28) helped them reach a total of 195 for 6. After losing Quinton de Kock early, the duo of Suryakumar and Rohit launched a brilliant counterattack. The duo put together a partnership of 90 runs in 55 balls, before the former was run out. Rohit’s innings, laced with some signature hitman pull shots, included six maximums and three boundaries. The Mi skipper also reached the landmark of 200 IPL sixes in the process.
The young medium pacer Shivam Mavi (2 for 32) was the pick of the bowlers as he accounted for both the MI openers and bowled at both ends of the innings.
Cummins, KKR’s big purchase this year, could not even complete his quota of overs as he was taken for 15,15 and 19 runs in the overs he bowled. He ended with the figures of none for 49.
It was one of the rare games where two maidens were bowled, one each by Shivam Mavi and Trent Boult.
