KNIGHTS STAND TALL
Kolkata’s V Iyer, Starc help their team beat Mumbai by 24 runs
MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders earned a convincing 24-run win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL here on Friday. Set to chase 170, MI was bowled out for 145 with Mitchell Starc taking four wickets for 33, with three of those coming in the last over. The win consolidated KKR’s position at second place with 14 points from 10 games, while MI is out with just six points from 11 games.
MI received early blows, losing six wickets with just 71 runs in the 12th over. Suryakumar Yadav scored a valiant 56 (35b, 6x4, 2x6) and waged a lone battle but once he got out with the score on 120 in the 16th over, it was an uphill task for MI.
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders’s aggressive approach on a sluggish surface saw it score 169.
Venkatesh Iyer scored 70 off 52 balls but his attitude of trying to preserve his own wicket by sacrificing enforcer Andre Russell certainly cost the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned side 20 runs. Veteran Manish Pandey scored 42 off 31 balls in a stand of 83 for the sixth wicket with Venkatesh. Just like the top-order was blown away before the total reached 60, the last five fell for just 29 runs as Jasprit Bumrah (3/18 in 3.5 overs) was too hot to handle with his toe-crushers at the death.
On a two-paced wicket which had the odd delivery coming on to the bat slower than expected, KKR batters were guilty of rushing into their shots and not reading the track well before formulating their plans.
As a result, half of their side was back in the hut in the powerplay without having anything significant on the board.
After the explosive top order cut a sorry figure, Rinku Singh (9) too squandered an opportunity to bat big, forcing KKR to turn to the experienced Pandey as impact sub for rescue.
And to a large extent, Pandey delivered the goods playing in his first game this IPL in a challenging situation.
Without any unwanted risk, Pandey led the recovery for KKR with a sturdy sixth wicket stand with Venkatesh. Pandey did well to finish at 42 off 31 balls with two sixes and as many fours.
At the start, Nuwan Thushara (3/42) dismantled KKR’s top order with three wickets early on.
The slingy Sri Lankan accounted for Phil Salt (5), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (13) and KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (6) inside the powerplay.
After Salt got a top edge on a short delivery and Raghuvanshi played one meekly to extra cover, Iyer flicked one straight to mid-on which marked a horror start for the KKR.
KKR’s slide continued when immediately after pulling MI skipper Hardik Pandya (2/44) over fine leg for a six, Sunil Narine (8) missed a straight one which knocked off his leg stump, leaving his side reeling at 43 for four. His lack of time in the middle leading to lack of big scores has been cited as the prime reason Rinku did not find a place in the Indian side for the World Cup.
But when the opportunity presented itself with Rinku walking out to bat as early as in the fifth over, he failed to make it count.
BRIEF SCORES: KKR 169 in 19.5 overs (V Iyer 70, M Pandey 42, J Bumrah 3/18, N Thushara 3/42) bt MI 145 in 18.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 56, M Starc 4/33)