Navi Mumbai: Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational 5/10, including 18 dot balls, was instrumental in Mumbai Indians restricting Kolkata Knight Riders to 165/9 in 20 overs at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday.
For Kolkata, Venkatesh Iyer perished early but not before getting the side to their first fifty-plus stand in power-play with a 24-ball 43 while Nitish Rana made the same score in 26 balls.
But Bumrah halted Kolkata’s fast and furious run, starting by taking out Andre Russell with a short ball, which he could send only to long-on. Three balls later, Bumrah bounced out a well-set Nitish Rana with a bouncer which took glove edge to keeper. The right-arm pacer returned in the 18th over, claiming Sheldon Jackson with a short ball pulled to deep square leg.
Bumrah then welcomed Pat Cummins with a bouncer and got him out on the very next ball with an uncomfortable short ball pouched safely by square leg. Sunil Narine tried to fend a short ball from Bumrah, only for the bowler to run in and take the catch on follow-through. Bumrah ended the innings by conceding just one run in the final over to pull Mumbai back in the match.
Earlier, Back to opening in the playing eleven, Venkatesh began by dispatching Murugan Ashwin over deep backward square leg for six, followed by drilling a drive on googly through cover. His partner, Ajinkya Rahane, was sedate while taking a four off Bumrah with a cut through point.
Venkatesh made his intentions clear of maximising power-play, by coming down the pitch and slicing Riley Meredith over point. It was followed by him shuffling across and scooping a six over fine leg. Venkatesh then brought up Kolkata’s fifty by getting an outer edge running through third man off Kumar Kartikeya Singh and then brought out slow-sweep to hit a clean six over deep mid-wicket.
But Kartikeya had the last laugh as Venkatesh went for another slog, only to top-edge to cover-point. Rana hit the ground running with a creamy drive over cover to end the power-play on a high.
Rahane got a move on with some boundaries but an uncharacteristic reverse sweep off Kartikeya saw him lose his leg-stump. Rana ensured that Rahane’s fall doesn’t hurt Kolkata, hitting back-to-back sixes down the ground to bring up Kolkata’s hundred in 11 overs.
Rana took a liking to Kieron Pollard’s medium-pace, welcoming him with an inside-out loft over extra cover for six. The left-hander took a four and another six, through extra cover and over deep mid-wicket respectively to take 17 runs off the over.
Though Ashwin took out Shreyas Iyer with a leg-break taking a thin edge to keeper, Rana and Andre Russell took a four and six respectively off the leg-spinner to finish with 13 runs off the over. But Bumrah arrived and broke the back of Kolkata’s batting, restricting them to a total far lesser than what the men in purple anticipated.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 165/9 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 43, Nitish Rana 43, Jasprit Bumrah 5/10, Kumar Kartikeya Singh 2/32) against Mumbai Indians
(IANS)
