Abu Dhabi: A clinical all-round performance by Mumbai Indians ensured they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 49 runs here on a sultry evening on Wednesday.
Trent Boult, James Pattinson, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar picked up two wickets each for Mumbai Indians, as the Knight Riders could only manage 146/9 from their 20 overs.
Chasing Mumbai’s massive 195/5, the Knight Riders needed to step on the gas right from the word go. However, it din’t turn out to be that way as they kept losing wickets right from the outset. KKR captain Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana tried to steady the sinking ship with a useful 46-run partnership but then Rahul Chahar was able to get rid of the former.
It was tough going for KKR thereafter as their big guns Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell managed only 16 and 11 runs respectively. Pat Cummins came up with a 11-ball 33 cameo to redeem himself for his bowling errors but could never really get his team in the game.
Earlier, after being sent into bat Mumbai Indians were off to a flier from the start. Even though they lost Quinton De Kock early it did not dampen their spirits as their captain Rohit Sharma set alight the stadium with his cricketing shots. Rohit was ably supported by Suryakumar Yadav (47) and then Saurabh Tiwary (21) who made sure the run-rate was always on the higher side.
KKR pulled things back in the last few overs by getting rid of Rohit and the dangerous Hardik Pandya (18). But could not prevent Mumbai Indians from amassing a gigantic total.
Shivam Mavi was the pick of the bowlers for KKR as he returned figures of 2/32 from his four overs. Sunil Narine and Russell too chipped in with a wicket each.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians: 195/5
Rohit Sharma: 80 (54), Suryakumar Yadav: 47 (28)
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Pat Cummins: 33 (11), Dinesh Karthik: 30 (23)
