The Mumbai Indians registered their second win on the trot on Sunday afternoon as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in Mumbai. The hosts, who were led by Suryakumar Yadav in absence of Rohit Sharma (he came in as Impact Player in the run-chase), produced a phenomenal batting display as the side chased down a 186-run target with 14 balls to spare. One of the biggest positives for MI was a return to run-scoring of Ishan Kishan (58) and Suryakumar Yadav (43), who largely steered the chase.
The run-chase from MI came after KKR's Venkatesh Iyer became only the second batter in the history of the franchise to slam a century; Iyer joined Brendon McCullum in the list, who had scored the only ton in KKR's history in IPL's first-ever match, all the way back in 2008. However, the bowlers didn't live up to their expectations as the side's leading overseas spinner Sunil Narine proved expensive, conceding 41 in three overs.
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Shardul Thakur, who was bowled in the powerplay, leaked runs as well; he conceded 25 runs in two overs, even as he took a wicket. Barring youngster Suyash Sharma (2/27 in four overs), no other KKR bowler stepped up to the occasion and the side's captain Nitish Rana was disappointed with the bowling effort.
In a hard-hitting verdict on his bowlers, Nitish stated that it's time they stepped up. “Definitely, I would like my bowling unit to deliver. One or two matches are fine... but it's happening for five matches in a row now. Every bowler can have one or two bad days, but when it happens back-to-back, it's a cause of worry. We need to have a talk about it when we sit back, and come back stronger,” Nitish said in the post-match chat with Ravi Shastri.
{{/usCountry}}In a hard-hitting verdict on his bowlers, Nitish stated that it's time they stepped up. “Definitely, I would like my bowling unit to deliver. One or two matches are fine... but it's happening for five matches in a row now. Every bowler can have one or two bad days, but when it happens back-to-back, it's a cause of worry. We need to have a talk about it when we sit back, and come back stronger,” Nitish said in the post-match chat with Ravi Shastri.
{{/usCountry}}This was KKR's third loss in five matches in the ongoing season. The side is currently fifth in the points table; MI, meanwhile, have climbed one spot to eighth position; they have two wins and as many losses in four games so far.