In match 47 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 edition, seventh-positioned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) played host to Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday (April 28) at their home ground; Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In an bid to stay alive in the competition and survive another day for the playoffs race, KKR had a humongous assignment to crash MI’s methodology – who were returning on the of win versus Chepauk vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk – against whom they possess battled big time for over some period.
Put into bat, KKR rode on a sublime76 from opener Shubman Gill and a late prosper from star all-rounder Andre Russell (80 off 40 balls) which moved the team score to 232 for 2 (highest score by KKR at Eden). In answer, MI were in a wide range of inconvenience before Hardik Pandya’s six-hitting abilities took them closer to the target, only to fall short by 34 runs (198 for 7).
Here are the top highlights from Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians (KKR versus MI) match:
1) Replacing Sunil Narine at the top, it was youngster Shubman Gill who by and by tried out for the opening slot alongside Chris Lynn. With consecutive annihilations, KKR openers turned out all guns blazing and astonished MI bowlers with their forceful methodology. While Gill’s was tied in with finding the gaps with the sweet part of the bat, Lynn depended on the shorter boundaries and strong bottom-hand. As a result, the pair added 93 runs in 9.2 overs before Rahul Chahar outfoxed Lynn.
2) Following Russell’s controversial press conference on the eve of the experience – wherein he raged about KKR’s poor decision-making – he was at last sent to bat at No. 3. With the team in an admirable position, his batting style fit the circumstance. The West Indian had just 48 runs at the position before this clash but he turned the equation after his blitz at Eden Gardens.
The plan was to bowl outside off stump toward the West Indies’ mammoth. Be that as it may, he was substance to begin gradually and not unnecessarily go for the big shots from the word go. The invasion initiated from the fourteenth over with back to back sixes off Chahar. He didn’t stop from thereon. Hardik Pandya’s varieties were smocked out of the recreation center while Bumrah’s short of length deliveries met the same treatment. However, it was Lasith Malinga’s final over wherein he added 22 runs with regular boundaries as the Sri Lankan missing on his yorkers and refrained from bowling outside off stump.
3) Courtesy Russell-mania, KKR assembled the third-most runs in the last five overs in IPL history. The home side included 75 runs which included 12 boundaries. KKR are behind MI who are in the main two gratitude to their carnage versus RCB (in 2015) and DC earlier in the current edition. KKR need to thank Russell, who walked the talk, and now has 50 sixes in this IPL.
4) Leading MI for the 100th time in IPL history, Rohit Sharma was relied upon to lead the show in a mammoth pursue at his preferred ground. In any case, he lost his opening partner – Quinton de Kock (0) – and followed suit with a careless stroke off Harry Gurney. The right-hander could have waited for the likes of Piyush Chawla and Russell, but he went early playing across the line to Gurney and get trapped for 12.
5) The MI chase was going no place till the Hardik-assault. The firecrackers started as the right-hander’s searing 91(off 34 balls) kept KKR occupied on the field. He implied business in the wake of turning out in the center with the required run-rate as of now in double figures (over 15 RPO). Nonetheless, it appeared he was batting for no particular reason and kept the runs coming without dropping much sweat. Well, he had a strike rate of 267.65 after all!
Hardik’s sensational hitting came against the spinners as he continued hitting them out of the recreation center. He removed a leaf from Russell and targetted the shorter boundaries. While it was all pitched in his arc, he displayed his strong bottom-hand against the pacers and their change of pace. He has without a doubt taken a shot at his fitness and picked up muscle power, and it appeared all through his knock. The all-rounder pummeled the quickest fifty of the season and kept MI in the hunt till his stay! He deservingly was given a standing ovation during his departure.
6) By ideals of this triumph, KKR remains alive in the competition as well as showed signs of improvement of MI after eight fizzled endeavors on the jog. Their last win over Rohit’s MI came in the 2015 edition. Then again, the KKR unit likewise conquered their recent slump of six-consecutive losses (including three consecutive at home). In addition, this became KKR’s 100th T20 win.
While Karthik’s men stay in the competition, they have some miscommunications to survived. There wasn’t much talk between Russell-Karthik in their partnership whereas Robin Uthappa was clearly miffed with the skipper after they combined to drop a sitter, off Chawla, to give a reprieve to Krunal Pandya. What’s cooking in the KKR camp?
7) Some coincidence, right?
KKR’s 100th T20 win: April 28, 2019
KKR’s 100th T20 win: April 28, 2019
