IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders
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Abudhabi: Mumbai Indians won by 8 wickets and 19 balls to spare. In IPL 2020, MI did not lose a wicket in the power play for the first time. A boundary followed by a single pursuit of the 149-run target with 19 balls to spare from Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians.
"I think the trend is changing. In the first half teams batting first were winning and in the second half, teams chasing will win." Said the winning skipper, Rohit Sharma.
A 149-run target set by Kolkata Knight Riders, who had batted first after winning the toss, was chased down by MI. Mumbai has recorded five back-to-back wins with this victory, followed by Delhi Capitals, at the top of the IPL 2020 points table.
In all three departments in Abu Dhabi, reigning champions Mumbai Indians outplayed Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR's new captain, Morgan, won the toss and elected to bat first. As they lost their top order quickly, Kolkata got off to an abysmal start and finally, it was left to Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan to stitch a crucial partnership to help KKR post a respectable 148 for six.
In two balls, Rahul Chahar picked up two wickets and was by far the bowlers' choice. Trying to chase down 149 to win, thanks to their skippers Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, Mumbai got off on a flyer. Ultimately, Mumbai was in the driver's seat when Rohit was sacked and had taken the game out of KKR's control. They hold their top place in the points table with the win and get a step closer to booking a playoff berth.
Morgan, the Kolkata's skipper, says they lost a lot of wickets early and it didn't allow them to put a good score on the board. He adds that it's hard to avoid a team like Mumbai their batters played.
"My boys are very hungry. And they want to prove a point. Whenever they get an opportunity, they will do well" says Rohit Sharma in the official Mumbai Indians Twitter page. Mumbai continues to roar in this season. MI bowlers did a splendid job of restricting Kolkata and were persistent in batting.
As Kolkata did not turn up with the bat, it was a totally a one-sided affair. They were on the back foot very early in the match. There was a change in Kolkata leadership, but no change in their fate.
Quinton de Kock is adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning knock of 78* off 44 deliveries. The defending champions leap to the top of the points table, worthy of this full-scale win. Mumbai's resounding victory!