Rohit Sharma & Co beat KKR by nine wkts to seal top spot in table
Mumbai Indians (MI) didn't show any signs of fatigue in a tough Indian Premier League season and put up a fine all-round show to beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by nine wickets in their last league match at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.
Mumbai topped the table with 18 points on a better net run-rate (0.421) while Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals also finished with 18 points. KKR crashed out of the tournament.
After restricting the Knight Riders to 133 for seven in 20 overs, the hosts' opening pair of Quinton de Kock (30 off 23 balls, 3x6, 1x4) and Rohit Sharma (55 off 48 balls) before one-drop batsman Suryakumar Yadav (46 off 27 balls) helped MI achieve the target in 16.1 overs. South African De Kock made his intentions clear right from the first over as he hit S Sandeep Warrier's second ball for a six over fine leg. The wicketkeeper-batsman was also harsh on West Indian Andre Russell as MI earned 21 runs in Russell's first over. By the end of six powerplay overs, MI had 46 without loss on the board. After De Kock's departure, Mumbaikars - captain Rohit and Suryakumar put on 88 in an unconquered second wicket stand.
It was also a fruitful game for the Pandya brothers - Hardik (3-0-20-2) and Krunal (4-0-14-0) as KKR failed in a must-win tie for their playoff hopes. Hardik was introduced in the seventh over and sent back opener Shubman Gill (9 off 16). In his next over, the India player got rid of in-form batsman Chris Lynn (41 off 29). The Pandya brothers conceded only 12 runs in the four overs they bowled together.
MI's Lasith Malinga (3-35) too was destructive. He claimed two wickets in his second over. He first sent back KKR captain Dinesh Karthik and then snared the dangerous Russell for a duck. At 99 for four in 15 overs, Robin Uthappa (40 off 47) and Nitish Rana (26 off 13) put on 47 runs. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah claimed two scalps, including Uthappa.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates