After losing season opener against Chennai Super Kings, Defending Champions Mumbai Indians are back to their winning ways. The Champions defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 49 runs on Wednesday night game in Abu Dhabi. Mumbai Captain Rohit Sharma named as player of the Match for his 80 runs from 54 balls.
This will be first win for Mumbai Indians in 7 games at UAE so far, they have lost five games played in UAE during 2014 season. Kolkata Knight Riders started their 2020 campaign with a huge loss. Earlier KKR Captain Dinesh Karthik won the toss and he elected to bowl first.
Mumbai scored an above par 195 for 5 at the end of their innings, behind Rohit Sharma’s 54-ball 80 (sis 6’s and three 4’s) and Suryakumar Yadav’s 47 runs from 28 ball at the top of the order. Tiwary 21 of 13 balls,Hardik Pandya 18 from 13 balls and Pollard 13 of 7 not out helped to put tough target of 196 to KKR.
Mumbai’s pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, James Pattinson and Trent Boult then bowled to plans, with Bumrah particularly sensational as the Knight Riders’ chase spluttered and faltered, without ever kicking into top gear.
Bumrah bowled one over in the powerplay, but Sharma saved him for the Knight Riders’ big guns thereafter, and he made a second appearance only in the 13th over, when Andre Russell had joined Eoin Morgan in the middle with the asking rate touching 14.75.
By the time he had completed his third over, the chase was buried, with Bumrah snaring both Russell and Morgan within four balls and Bumrah’s figures reading 3-0-5-2. Rather anti-climatically, Bumrah conceded a whopping 27 runs in his final over to spoil his figures somewhat, but by then, the task was beyond the Knight Riders, who eventually ended up on 146 for 9.
Click here for Match score card
Post-Match comments from both Captains:
Rohit Sharma, The winning captain and also Man of the Match:
“Only two players from the squad that lost five matches here in 2014. It is all about executing plans, which we did. We were always ahead of the game, but it was al about being ruthless. I am pretty confident playing the pull shot, I love playing that shot, and I am pretty glad that it came off. Six months is a long time without cricket. I was looking to get some time in the middle. Didn’t come off in the first game, but glad it did today. Our pace attack was strong because we planned for Wankhede. Having come here, it did enough for the fast bowlers as well. My job becomes easy if you have such players on the team. It is not easy to play long innings here. Towards the end I just wanted to stay still and hit. Again it is a learning for all of us that once you ate in it is the responsibility of the set batsman to bat as deep as you can.”
Dinesh Karthik,Captain of Kolkata Knight Riders:
“Pretty rusty day to be honest. Don’t want to be too analytical about it. The boys know where they need to get better. Pat Cummins and Morgan just finished their quarantine today. So it is not easy to come in and play in this heat.”
