IPL 2022: KKR rides over MI on Pat Cummins record 50

Pune: Falling prey to Kolkata Knight Rider's (KKR) thunderous slam by Pat Cummins (56 not out off 15) at the tail end, Mumbai Indians (MI) lost their third consecutive match of Indian Premier League 2022, deepening their desperation for first win.

In match 14 of IPL '22 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday, MI was sent to bat first, and they were in trouble as batters struggled to find runs. On the fourth wicket, Suryakumar Yadav (52 off 36) took the reins along with youngster Tilak Varma (38 off 27), with metered shots and constructive strategy, added 83 runs on board. Later Kieron Pollard (22 off 5) gave the side a boost, and MI reached 161/4 in 20 overs.

KKR, however, started a blunt chase, losing top-order wickets of experienced Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Shreyas Iyer; both showed zero intention to stay alive but went for risky shots. Even though opener Venkatesh Iyer stood responsible, anchoring the team to the pitch, 5th man in, Nitish Rana and the next man, Andre Russel, left, attempting glory shots. When MI found enough ground to celebrate, Cummins, with clear intentions, entered and changed the story in favour of KKR. He smashed a 50 off 14, levelling with the record of fastest IPL 50 of KL Rahul and sealed the match, while Venkatesh Iyer stayed around with support, scoring 50 off 41.

Earlier, Pat Cummins (2/49) took two batters of MI but was expensive, while Varun Chakravarthy (1/32) and Umesh Yadav (1/25) took one wicket each. Sunil Narine expended a good spell supporting KKR.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians: 161/4 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 52, Tilak Varma 38 not out; Pat Cummins 2/49) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 162/5 in 16 overs (Pat Cummins 56 not out, Venkatesh Iyer 50 not out; Murugan Ashwin 2/25) by five wickets