MI registered a thumping win over KKR as they won the match by 6 wickets and with 5 balls left. MI have made a record by winning their first match of the tournament, as last time it was way back in 2012. Rohit Sharma‘s sensational knock of 78 runs in 38 balls (*6 fours & 6 sixes) was the major difference in the win, who just whacked the bowlers around the park effortlessly.
Ajinkya Rahane leads from the front
KKR’s openers, Ajinkya Rahane & Finn Allen, didn’t allow MI bowlers to settle at all. Finn Allen played a sensational cameo of 37 runs in 17 balls as the powerplay overs yielded 78 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. KKR was in a sturdy position at the end of 10 overs where they scored 120 runs for the loss of 2 wickets.
Shardul Thakur proved to be the bowler with the golden arm who took 3 wickets (*Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane & Angkrish Raghuvanshi). Ajinkya Rahane was in complete control of his knock of 67 runs in 40 balls, who hit 3 fours and 5 sixes. Ajinkya Rahane made sure that he rotated the strike regularly. Angkrish Raghuvanshi smashed a handy knock as well of 51 runs in 29 balls.
Rohit Sharma’s stunning knock floors KKR
Rohit Sharma & Ryan Rickelton didn’t panic at all, even when the target was a steep one of 221. The approach was quite clear that they will go for their shots & they did that by smashing 80 runs in the powerplay overs. Vaibhav Arora & Blessing Muzurabani’s short ball ploy wasn’t effective as the duo was toying with the bowlers.
It seemed as if book cricket was going on, MI hit 8 sixes in powerplay overs, out of which 5 sixes were hit by Rohit Sharma, who silenced his critics over his age (38) & fitness. MI just steered at the halfway stage where they scored 122 runs as both Rickelton & Rohit ravaged KKR’s bowling line-up.
It required a special effort to send back Rohit Sharma as Anukul Roy took a breath-taking catch at mid on in the 12th over; at that time MI’s score was 148-1 in 11.5 overs. Ryan Rickelton made sure that there are no hiccups in the run chase. Ryan Rickelton also played a key role in the match, scoring 81 runs in 43 balls and hitting 4 fours and 8 monstrous sixes.
KKR took some wickets at the back end of the match, but that wasn’t enough for them to win the match. Hardik Pandya smashed the winning runs in the last over, and there was jubilation at the Wankhede. KKR looked completely off-color as it seemed they were waiting for things to happen rather than making them happen, as all bowlers were hammered.
What lies ahead
MI’s next match is against DC on 4th April, and they will now be more dangerous and focused. It was a near perfect perfomrnace from all 3 departments of the game. Chasing 221 is never easy, and MI attained it for the first time at Wankheded in history of IPL. KKR’s next match is against SRH on 2nd April. KKR need to quickly forget this performance. Perhaps the absence of Harshit Rana (*injured) is making their bowling look weak as they needed wickets in the powerplay overs which didn’t happen at all.
Also Read:Â MI vs KKR: Ajinkya Rahane & KKR Set A Humongous Target For MI