HardikaPandyaas quickfire 29-run knock and Nitish Ranaas 50 helped Mumbai Indians clinch thriller vs Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.
This was MIas first win in the 2017 Indian Premier League. Chasing a target of 179, MI lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle-overs but Nitish Rana and Hardik Pandya kept their cool and guided their team to victory with a ball to spare. Earlier, Manish Pandeyas unbeaten 81-run knock helped KKRapost 178/7. For MI, Krunal Pandya took three wickets. Catch full cricket score of Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders here.
Rohit: a?Winning the game was important. Weare known for this – we keep people on their toes. Very happy with this win. Here at Wankhede, we back our players to get the runs with the dew coming in and the flat pitch. We were hoping Rana and Hardik would finish it off and they did.a?
Manish Pandey’s fireworks earlier in the match helped Kolkata post a formidable total of 178 runs. Pandey remained unbeaten at 81 runs in 47 balls. Mumbai were off to a very bright side but lost the plot in the middle overs. KKR spinners were simply brilliant to keep a check on Mumbai’s run rate and build the pressure on them. But the duo of Nitish Rana and Hardik Pandya, in the end, proved too good for the visitors. Mumbai at one point needed 49 runs from the last 3 overs. some dismal out fielding from the Knight Riders where even a catch was put down in the final over, the Mumbai Indians batsmen finished off the chase with just a ball to spare.
There were many errors committed from both the sides but the misfield from Suryakumar Yadav on the second delivery in the last over of the game was the biggest error made.
Before Rana-Pandya blitz on a batting friendly wicket, Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn provided a stable start to the team. However, a bowling change soon changed the stable word into tottered, as Krunal Pandya removed Gautam Gambhir and his succeeding batsman Robin Uthappa in the same over.
Lynn too departed soon after adding 19 runs with Manish Pandey for the third wicket. His wicket led to a dip in scoring rate, as Yusuf Pathan was taking his time and his dismissal was a blessing in disguise for Kolkata Knight Riders, as Pandey started playing shots after his dismissal, adding 44 runs along with SuryaKumar Yadav in just 27 balls.
However , another nail_biting finish there and again youngsters taking the lead for teams is the best part of IPL !
