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Cummins takes IPL by storm, belts 14-ball fifty to power KKR win
The Australia skipper, having just landed from the Pakistan tour, took 2/49 and then smashed six sixes and four fours in his 15-ball 56* to chase down the 162-run target set by Mumbai Indians in Pune on Wednesday
Kolkata Knight Riders needed 35 runs from 30 balls. Pat Cummins, fresh from his victorious tour of Pakistan, was on 22 from 8, Venkatesh Iyer 50 from 41. Jasprit Bumrah has just been walloped for 12 runs, Tymal Mills for 14 runs in the over before that. The equation was still more than run-a-ball though. And Mumbai Indians had the firm backing of a vocal Pune crowd on Wednesday night after reducing KKR to 101/5. With Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell and Sam Billings out, KKR were possibly one wicket away from disintegrating in their chase of 161.
Enter Cummins. Properly warmed up after hitting Mills for a four and six and repeating that feat against Bumrah, Cummins had Daniel Sams on his crosshairs. Slower ball on length? Cummins stays back and gives it a mighty swing for six. Another slower one but this was a full toss and Cummins belted in between long-on and deep midwicket for four. Stuck with the slower ball, a dazed Sams played along after that. Six over deep midwicket, another over fine leg, Cummins was hitting them clean as a whistle. Suryakumar Yadav pulled off a brilliant catch but Sams had overstepped. More misery followed Mumbai Indians.
Cummins eased their suffering quickly though. With a four and a six, reaching 50 off 14 balls, he gave KKR a victory to remember. What could have gone wrong? Everything. For starters, KKR wouldn’t have probably had to chase 161 if their fielders had called better. It was always the wicketkeeper’s call. And Sam Billings was running towards this one. Taking a catch running back is trickier but Billings had ticked that box, helping Umesh Yadav dismiss Rohit Sharma the third consecutive time in IPL. This skier was kindergarten stuff compared to that. But Ajinkya Rahane, closing in from backward point, also thought he could catch it. He didn’t call for it though. Neither did he cover the entire ground. Suryakumar got a life as a result. Mumbai Indians, in turn, got a sizeable total.
Rarely do you have Mumbai Indians on the mat. Sharma was back in the dugout, as were Ishan Kishan and Dewald Brevis, cricket’s latest wonderkid. Bag Suryakumar’s wicket and Mumbai Indians—winless in the first two games—are essentially rudderless. Rahane erred, Suryakumar made KKR almost pay. Anguished by the drop, Umesh tried a back of the length slower delivery and was pulled to deep midwicket for a boundary. Next ball was short but Suryakumar made it shorter by tracking back and guiding it over third man for six. Game on.
Break up his innings and the first 17 balls gave MI just 10 runs but the next 19 balls produced 42. “I just wanted to spend some time in the middle, work the bowling around, play some 15-16 balls and then go after the bowling,” said Suryakumar at the mid-innings break.
Out came the pull, the upper cut and two different versions of sweep. Varun Chakaravarthy was paddled over short-fine leg; Sunil Narine was heaved over midwicket for six before being belted past backward point for four. You can’t discount the domino effect of the dropped catch as well. Who better than Surya, a domestic and IPL legend, to guide Tilak Varma? MI consolidated, scoring 85 in the first 15 overs and 76 in the last five. This was a winning total, Yadav declared.
Cummins thought otherwise.
