back icon

News

Inexplicable approach see KKR bottle a chance to beat MI

article_imageMATCH REPORT
Last updated on 13 Apr 2021 | 08:00 PM
Follow Us
Inexplicable approach see KKR bottle a chance to beat MI

Mumbai Indians pounced on every opportunity offered by Kolkata to get off the mark in the season

Time heals everything, except Kolkata Knight Riders’ struggles against Mumbai Indians. KKR versus MI is one of the most one-sided T20 rivalries in favour of the latter. Tonight, KKR had a great chance to pull one back and start their season with two cracking victories. 

Having done everything right for the majority of the game, they bottled their last few steps towards the finish line, helping MI to turn it around. 

Bottling under pressure

From 49 away from the target at an asking rate only around 7 per over and eight wickets in hand, KKR chose to take the bumpy road of trying aerial shots instead of the highway they were on earlier. Skipper Eoin Morgan, a well set Nitish Rana and an experienced Shakib Al Hasan, all attempted unnecessary shots. The equation soon became 19 off the last two overs and MI’s prime bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult showed their class in the last two overs. 

The duo conceded only 8 runs in their two overs combined, with Boult picking two wickets, as MI registered their first win of IPL 2021, by 10 runs. 

But before them, it was Rahul Chahar who opened the door for Mumbai. When Rana and Shubman Gill were cruising along in their 72-run opening stand, he sent back the latter, having him caught at long-off for 33. The wicket came after conceding a six. At the post-match presentation, Chahar said, ”I know he can’t keep hitting me out of the park”.

 

Chahar struck again soon, this time with sharp turn against Rahul Tripathi, to have him caught behind. Chahar had not taken a wicket in his last three IPL outings. This game, he picked up a wicket in each of his four overs and registered his best bowling figures of four for 27. His other two scalps were Morgan and Rana.

KKR still required only 31 off 31 balls when Rana charged down the track. Chahar, on his last ball of the night, slid the ball past Rana to have him stumped. Batting at 57, he was the glue that was holding the chase together even after the incessant fall of wickets. 

Shakib Al Hasan attempted another slog two balls later and was caught at deep midwicket. Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell found just one boundary in 26 balls between them. KKR scored only 20 runs in the last five overs. 

Things KKR did right for 32 overs

KKR had everything going right for a major part of the game. The coin has not landed ‘tails’ much in this cricket season in India, especially with Morgan involved. Today it did when Rohit Sharma called heads and Morgan opted to bowl first. 

KKR strangled MI with five overs of spin to begin with. They snaffled Quinton de Kock and sent Rohit into submission. The one guy who could score freely for MI was Suryakumar Yadav. 

In a 76-run stand for the second wicket, Surya contributed 56 from 36 balls. He scored boundaries off both spinners and pacers. A whip against Pat Cummins for a 99-metre six over square leg was the shot of the day. In fact the only time MI’s innings appeared to be heading somewhere was while Surya was at the crease. Surya was removed by Shakib in the 11th over, his last in a spell of one for 23. 

Seven overs of spin in the first 10 overs allowed KKR to persist with pace in the second half of their bowling innings. Cummins, used as an enforcer in the middle-overs, picked Ishan Kishan in the 12th and Rohit in the 16th over. Rohit’s wicket, who could have been dangerous having batted for 15 overs capsized MI’s innings. 

Number 5 onwards, MI’s batting collapsed for the second game in a row. After Hardik Pandya was out for 15, Andre Russell bagged a five-wicket haul, in only 12 balls. Brought on only for the death overs tonight, Russell removed Kieron Pollard and Marco Jansen with wide fullish length deliveries from around the wicket. In his last over, he picked three, bundling out MI for 152. MI managed 38 runs for seven wickets in their last five overs. 

KKR openers then put on 72 runs for the opening wicket, exactly what the team would want from them in a modest chase. 

Underrated Krunal

Krunal, the player to be rated 10 out of 10 on the Criclytics Report Card, slipped under the radar with his contribution. His 9-ball 15, with three boundaries, took MI above 150. With the ball, Krunal bowled a spell reading 4-0-13-1. His last two overs, coming at the back end of KKR’s innings, produced Shakib’s wicket at the cost of only four runs. 

He was the beginning of KKR’s choke and also provided MI the cushion of extra runs which made the difference in the outcome of the game. 

Related Article

Loader