IPL 2020: KKR vs MI Review – Rohit, Bumrah help MI get first points
Defending champions Mumbai Indians have got their first win of IPL 2020, defeating the listless Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday night. After being invited to bat first, MI skipper Rohit Sharma plundered the opposition bowlers and went on to score a stunning 80 runs off 54 deliveries. Suryakumar Yadav also did well, scoring a crucial 28-ball 47 which propelled the MI to 195/5 in 20 overs.
KKR never seemed to be in the chase from the word get-go. Their openers, Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine got out cheaply. Captain Dinesh Karthik promoted himself to No.3, a move that was both bold and risky. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off as the pressure only increased on the batsmen to follow.
All hopes rested on Andre Russell in the end who came in when the team needed 119 runs off 46 balls. The West Indian couldn’t handle the heat from Jasprit Bumrah who bowled superbly. In the end, KKR could only reach 146/9 in their 20 overs thanks to Pat Cummins’ four sixes off Jasprit Bumrah.
Turning Points
Rohit-Surya partnership: After losing Quinton de Kock early, MI needed to build a partnership and two of their better players in Rohit and Surya did just that. The latter took the initiative to counter-attack first as he slammed 16 runs in the third over. Rohit followed, opening up his arms and smacking Cummins for sixes. That set the tone for the innings as the duo didn’t spare both spinners Narine and Kuldeep. They added 90 runs for the second wicket which set the platform for the batsmen to come.
Jasprit Bumrah’s spell – A champion bowler bounces back and that is what Bumrah did after a poor outing against CSK. He was literally unplayable on the day and at one stage, had conceded only 5 runs in three overs with two wickets to his name. He sent back both Russell and Morgan, the batsmen who have the ability to pull off impossible chases. However, his exceptional figures got disturbed after Cummins took him for 27 runs in a single over. But the pacer had already done the damage.
Records/Personal Milestones
- Kieron Pollard played his 150th match for Mumbai Indians and also took his first IPL wicket since 2015.
- Rohit Sharma became the fourth player in IPL history to hit 200 sixes. Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni are the other three batsmen to achieve the feat.
- MI completed their 20th win over KKR in the IPL.
After registering their first win of the season, Mumbai will now face the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their third game on September 28 in Dubai. KKR, on the other hand, will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad who lost their first game as well on September 26.
Moment of the match
First @IPL wicket since 2015 ?#Polly150 ?
Live updates: https://t.co/GdxbVn8xav
Ball by ball: https://t.co/MEx2BDfoMO#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL #KKRvMI @KieronPollard55 pic.twitter.com/X2GBPvykEV— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 23, 2020
