A clinical bowling display, followed by a decisive stand between Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell, kept Kolkata Knight Riders in the hunt for a place in the IPL playoffs after a comfortable four-wicket win over already-eliminated Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
Put in by Ajinkya Rahane on a tricky, two-paced surface of uneven bounce, five-time former champions Mumbai were blown away by pacers Saurabh Dubey and Cameron Green, who took two wickets apiece in their respective first spells, and limped to 147-8 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
West Indian spinner Sunil Narine choked the middle order, conceding just 13 runs in four overs, and it wasn’t until Corbin Bosch lashed two sixes in the final over from Kartik Tyagi did Mumbai flirt with respectability.
Mumbai lost at least three wickets in the powerplay for the fifth time this season, slumping to 46-4 after six overs, and even though skipper Hardik Pandya, back in action after missing the last three games with back spasms, and Tilak Varma put on 43, they took 49 deliveries in doing so.
Coming into the game with four wins in their last five games, Kolkata lost prolific opener Finn Allen in the first over, bowled by Deepak Chahar.
When Rahane and Green both fell to Bosch for the addition of just six runs, they found themselves in a spot of bother at 54-3.
But Pandey and Powell then joined hands to thwart Mumbai’s hopes of a consolation victory, playing with great common sense and maturity.
Pandey, the first Indian to make an IPL century in 2009, was batting for the first time this season but showed no signs of rust, playing with characteristic cheekiness through the off-side, while Powell (40 off 30 balls) rode his luck with Chahar failing to go for a catch when the ball was tantalisingly within reach.
“This is the only time I’ve batted (this season), I’ve been padded up and waiting to bat, this is a special one for me,” said Pandey after scoring a vital 45.
“If I am not getting to play, I still want to be a part of the team. Hope we finish well and squeeze into the top four.”
The two right-handers punished anything loose as the pitch eased out somewhat until Pandey, one of only three players –- alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma –- to have played at least one game in each of the 19 IPL seasons, was cleaned up by a Jasprit Bumrah special.
Powell fell to a spectacular catch by Bosch, diving full length to his right at point, but Rinku Singh got the job done without fuss to ensure that Kolkata stayed afloat, if only just.
Source: Khaleej Times