PUNE, India (CMC) — West Indies stars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine played only minor roles, but their Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) did enough to thrash Kieron Pollard’s Mumbai Indians by five wickets and keep the five-time champions winless in the new edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sent in at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Mumbai rallied to an under-par 161 for four off their 20 overs, behind Suryakumar Yadav’s top score of 52 from 36 balls and Tilak Varma’s 38 not out off 27 balls.
Pollard arrived late to lash 22 not out from five balls with three sixes — all coming in the final over from Australia fast bowler and Test Captain Pat Cummins (2-49), which leaked 23 runs.
In reply, Russell failed with 11, but Cummins smashed an astonishing unbeaten 56 off a mere 15 balls, and Venkatesh Iyer produced a measured unbeaten 50 from 41 deliveries as KKR cruised to victory with 24 balls to spare.
When Russell top-edged England left-arm fast bowler Tymal Mills (2-38) to point at the start of the 14th over, the game was wide open with KKR stumbling on 101 for five.
But Cummins sparkled with four fours and half-dozen sixes, while Iyer struck half-dozen fours and a six, the pair posting 61 in a match-winning unbroken sixth-wicket stand.
The victory took KKR top of the ten-team standings with six points from four matches, while the loss for Mumbai was their third in as many outings.
Their innings was a story of one major partnership — Suryakumar punching five fours and two sixes in an 83-run, fourth-wicket stand with Varma to pull his side out of trouble at 55 for three at the end of the 11th over.
Varma counted three fours and two sixes, but it was Pollard’s last-over fireworks that took Mumbai past the 150-run mark.
Off-spinner Narine produced a controlled spell, conceding only 26 runs from four overs without a wicket, while Russell’s sole over went for nine runs.
Leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin (2-25) and Mills then destabilised the KKR top order, despite a 32-run, third-wicket partnership between Iyer and Sam Billings (17), to leave the innings wobbling.
But Cummins’ assault, culminating in only his third Twenty20 fifty, shocked Mumbai as KKR motored to their target with time to spare.
In the 16th over from left-arm seamer Daniel Sams, which proved to be the final one, Cummins annihilated his fellow Australian, smashing 35 runs, inclusive of four sixes and two fours.