Mumbai beat KKR, stay afloat

Mumbai, may 6

Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century and an all-round performance from Hardik Pandya powered Mumbai Indians to a 13-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday. The victory kept Mumbai Indians alive in the race for the playoffs.

Yadav (59 off 39) struck his fourth fifty of the tournament before Pandya (35* off 20) plundered the KKR attack to nudge the hosts to 181/4. Yadav’s opening partner Evin Lewis (45 off 28) also made a valuable contribution in the 91-run stand. KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik (36* off 26) tried his best to get his team over the finishing line but failed. In the final over, KKR needed 23 runs, but Krunal Pandya bowled well to hand Mumbai a crucial win. Robin Uthappa’s 54 off 35 balls, his first fifty-plus score of the competition, also went in vain. 

Chasing a stiff 182, KKR lost openers Chris Lynn (17) and Shubman Gill (7) quickly (28/2). Nitish Rana and Uthappa, who got a reprieve on four, resurrected the innings with an 84-run stand. They hammered spinners Krunal Pandya and Mayank Markande to plunder 30 runs in just two overs. Uthappa, who was dropped by Markande, smashed him for two consecutive sixes. After Uthappa’s and Rana’s dismissal, the asking rate went up steeply and the target gradually went out of their reach.

For Mumbai, Hardik (2/19) was the pick of the bowlers, while Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal and Mitchell McClenaghan picked up a wicket each.

Earlier, Mumbai openers Yadav and Lewis set the platform for a challenging total. Yadav made his intentions clear when he went after Mitchell Johnson, picking 15 runs off his one over. Lewis, too, opened up gradually, smashing two consecutive fours off Sunil Narine. But as the two looked poised for big scores, Andre Russell broke the stand, removing Lewis in the 10th over. The opener’s fall led to the KKR bowlers making a strong comeback but a late cameo from Hardik helped Mumbai past the 180-run-mark.  — PTI 

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 181/4 (Suryakumar Yadav 59, Evin Lewis 43; Andre Russell 2/12); Kolkata Knight Riders 168/6 (Robin Uthappa 54, Dinesh Karthik 36*; Hardik Pandya 2/19)