April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders broke their six-match losing streak with a 34-run win over Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring encounter at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Batting first, KKR’s posted a mammoth 232/2, the highest total of season 12. Shubman Gill (75 off 45) and Andre Russell (80 not out off 40) were the architects in chief as Mumbai’s bowlers were carted all round the park.
In reply, Mumbai were in deep losing four wickets for 50 runs but Hardik Pandya reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. However, with asking rate constantly hovering around 16 runs per over, MI faltered at the end and were restricted to 198/7.
Toss: Mumbai Indians won the toss and put Kolkata Knight Riders in to bat first.
First innings: KKR openers got off to a sensational start and forged a 96-run stand. Both Gill and Lynn struck fifties in quick time. Gill smashed six fours and four sixes en route to his second half-century of the season and then forged a crucial stand with Andre Russell. Russell, who was finally promoted up the order at three, began slowly but ensured that KKR finished on a high with an unbeaten 80 off 40 balls.
Second innings: Mumbai got off to a poor start chasing a 233 and that is probably where they lost the game. At 58/4, MI were down and out but Hardik Pandya reignited their hopes with a breathtaking 91 off 34 balls. In the end, Pandya’s dismissal in the 18th over sealed the game in KKR’s favour as Mumbai ended at 198 for seven. The Indian all-rounder’s cracking innings comprised nine sixes and six fours.
Gamechanger: Russell has evolved as KKR’s biggest impact player of the season. Coming higher up the order at No 3 e got time to settle down before exploding towards the end of the innings. Russell hammered six fours and eight sixes including one off the last ball after he denied a couple of singles to skipper Dinesh Karthik in the last over as KKR creamed 75 runs from the last five overs and scored 135 in the final 10.
(The Indian Express)
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