Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) registered a four-wicket win against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, May 20.
KKR, who came to bowl first, got two wickets in the third over bowled by Cameron Green. Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dheer were the batsmen to be out.
Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed by young Saurabh Dubey, who was playing only his third game in the IPL. Tilak Verma and Hardik Pandya tried to revive the ship, but could not make any headway. On a pitch where the ball was taking grip and turn, KKR bowlers led by Sunil Narine took advantage of it.
Corbyn Bosch played a brilliant knock at the end of the innings, scoring 32* off 18 balls, helping the tourists finish at 147/8 in 20 overs.
In reply, KKR had to bid farewell to their in-form opener Finn Allen in the very first over, with Deepak Chahar taking the first wicket. However, Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey used their experience to take the team to the target.
Green was out cheaply after Rahane was out for 21 runs. However, KKR made a game-changing comeback with a 64-run partnership between Pandey and Rovman Powell off 47 balls.
MI got a few wickets towards the end of the innings, but by then it was too late for them. KKR won the match with four wickets and seven balls remaining.
talking points:
Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell reflect on importance of experience
Manish Pandey After waiting for four matches, finally got a chance to bat. He batted at number 3 and scored 45 runs in 33 balls and hit six fours on a difficult pitch for the batsmen. Rovman Powell also played a brilliant innings and scored 40 runs in 30 balls. He hit four fours and two sixes. Their partnership of 64 runs off 47 balls put KKR in a strong position.
Saurabh Dubey is one for the future
Saurabh Dubey bowled brilliantly with the new ball. He dismissed the legendary Rohit Sharma in the fourth over. In his next over, he took the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, who was looking in great form. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 2/34 in his four-over spell.
Corbin Bosch impresses with all-round performance
Corbin Bosch played his heart out on Wednesday. On a difficult batting surface, he gave the KKR bowlers trouble and hit three fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 32-run knock from 18 balls. With the ball, he took three wickets in as many overs. Bosch also took a brilliant catch to dismiss Powell.
who said what?
Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians (losing captain)
(Where did you say about 20 runs less?) Yeah, I mean, pretty entertaining. Certainly as a batting group, we were 20 short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay, but if Tilak and I had stayed longer, and we had made a few more partnerships and scored 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a good chance. (How was the pitch?) I mean, to be honest, I don't mind playing on these kind of wickets where the bowlers have something to do. I think IPL is becoming very batting oriented. Bowlers are feeling helpless. I think today's game also gave the bowlers something from the wicket, which made them come and bowl some good balls, inspire the batsmen to play some good cricket and score runs. So, I enjoyed it. (What was going on in the field?) I don't know. I think we have been very poor in fielding throughout the season. I think we dropped a lot of catches, obviously nobody wants to do that. But in that part of the game, I guess there's nothing to hide from. I mean if you get chances, if you want to win the game, you have to convert all the chances, even half chances. But yes, when you leave chances that can change the game, it always happens that you are chasing the game. (You want to end the season on a good note?) Yes, of course. So, this is an ESA game. This is for children. We just want to make sure that we come and bring smiles on the faces of those 25,000 kids, they come and watch us play and we entertain them, make them happy. I think it will be a lifetime of memories for them.
Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders (winning captain)
I think the confidence we had after six games, you know, we had some good discussions, frank discussions among everyone. We were playing some good cricket, but this format, you know, is about winning those important moments. And after that game, when we went on that break, that win was really important. This changed our mood and then everyone started believing. The trust was already there, but I felt the credit goes to all the support staff. When you lose six games and then go into the break the environment is really tough, it is really challenging, but not everyone gets credit for that. We maintained a good and positive atmosphere. The preparation has been excellent. So yes, that's the reason. I mean, when they started bowling, we saw, you know, we wanted Roman Powell to come in and the impact he had when Cameron Green started bowling. So that was really important to us. I was really happy with Varun and Sunny bowling together, but I just want to mention a few names. Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, taking that responsibility, you know, carrying forward that performance from the domestic season, bringing that confidence and coming here, bowling under pressure every time and the contribution has been amazing. Really happy for Manish Pandey. I mean, his work ethic, his attitude when he wasn't playing was great. As a player it's really tough when you're not playing a game and day after day keep working hard on your batting, your fielding, that attitude, that team mentality, that's really important. And I mean, I'm really happy for Manish Pandey with his innings tonight. Actually, every member of the team is very happy for Manish Pandey. We just want to take it one game at a time. We will get to know that MI is playing against Rajasthan Royals before us. But once again, what has worked for us in the last six-seven games is to stay in the moment, give our best and win those important moments. And yes, be in the moment.
Manish Pandey, Player of the Match
(You have been a talisman for KKR by being there in 2014 and 2024) Yes, that's probably why I'm still here. It sure feels great. Obviously KKR have been very good and kind to me. And coming back to the beginning of the season, it was the only game I actually batted in, so I was padded up and waiting to bat, but didn't get a chance in the first four games. But I think it was special, I wanted to stay there and hope our team wins and that's what happened. And there were some partnerships with Rowman and some people in between. Hopefully, we can do it again and win this game. (Was there any shot that stood out?) I think I got a few fours. They were outside the length of Deepak and Bumrah. So I think that was really cool. And I felt I was batting well, so I wanted to stay there and bat well. (Tell us what it would be like for a person of your seniority if you are not getting a game to stay motivated) More importantly for me, if I am not getting a chance to play, I would definitely want to be a part of this whole team. And whoever wants to ask me something, I want to help them. So I think that's what I did the whole series with. It's a wonderful group of boys, young and old, there's great camaraderie. And that's why we find ourselves in a position where we're coming back really strong and hoping to finish the last game really well and hopefully try to make the top four. (Tell us about that work ethic when it comes to fielding – is it just natural athleticism? Are you constantly working?) Yes, I think we probably bat for an hour, plus spend about 45 minutes continuously fielding every day. It doesn't matter whether it's raining or a sunny day. So I think because I don't bowl, I enjoy fielding and I want to contribute, even from the point of view of taking great catches and single saves to run outs. So that has been my strength and I like to contribute in that way and I want all the cricket ball to come to me when I am fielding. So it's a matter of great pride for me to be able to add value to the team in any way I can. And that's what keeps me going.
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