Touted to be Mumbai’s win before the play commencement based on the first leg performances of the involved teams, the match saw Kolkata dominating the play for most of the parts (with some early doubts). KKR made their way quite grandiosely to the top 4, replacing their opponents in this match. Kolkata batters finished the game in 15.1 overs with an all-around ruthlessness, reminding everyone of their two-time winner status.
A performance defining game for KKR, the match saw some clinical performances from both teams. Here are some critical performances from yesterday’s clash.
Quinton De Kock
The prime batter for Mumbai for this match was Quinton De Kock. The guy built a solid 50 run partnership with Rohit Sharma and had created some fear of how ominous the batsmen were looking at the crease. However, the way he was sailing through the 22 yards, the MI camp would have indeed likened to have had him more at the crease with how the other batsmen fell quickly.
Sunil Narine
Of course, you would expect that the guy who was constantly under scrutiny due to his bowling action and who had to change it, as a result, will see his form diving down. But today’s performance just broke all those speculations. With a staggering ten dot balls in the match and the wicket of Rohit Sharma, Narine did the job of breaking a vital partnership and completely shifted the gears of the game and put MI in the back seat. This impact is what made Narine the player of the match.
Rahul Tripathi
A dependable name for KKR over the years, Rahul made sure to carry the ruthless batting and ending the game 29 balls early for his team. Notching 74 runs off 42 balls, Tripathi gave MI bowlers no chances, displaying why he is a special player.
Venkatesh Iyer
This is the second match consecutively where this new KKR player has made his mark. But this time, he made sure to complete his first half-century and helped seal the deal for his team again. Venkatesh got out at 53 runs off 30 balls. The innings comprised seven boundaries (4 fours, three sixes).
Conclusion
Even though Mumbai had some key players performing yesterday in the form of Quinton de Kock and Bumrah’s three-wicket haul, the match was dominated by KKR players. With Sunil Narine showing his usual class, Ferguson stopping the Mumbai finishers and the impeccable Rahul Tripathi & Venkatesh Iyer, who left the Mumbai bowlers clueless.
Their performances have undoubtedly breathed new energy into the team, which they will indeed look forward to repeating and will give their all to make it to the playoffs. The second leg of IPL just got more exciting, folks!