Mumbai Indians (MI) dispatched Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a one-sided contest to register their second win of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023. The home side were under the pump after Venkatesh Iyer’s swashbuckling ton in the first innings, but a late comeback by the bowlers followed by a spectacular batting display saw them defeat the visitors by five wickets with more than two overs to spare.
Mumbai Indians’ chase started like a house on fire as keeper-batter Ishan Kishan took the game to the KKR bowlers from the get-go. The explosive opener spared absolutely nobody in a breathtaking start for the home side. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma (20 off 13), who was subbed in at the start of the innings, departed after playing a brisk cameo.
However, his opening partner continued the assault from the other end as Mumbai registered the fourth-highest powerplay score of this year’s edition. Kishan, who smashed 58 runs off just 25 deliveries departed with Mumbai Indians in firm control of the chase.
Mumbai’s stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who has struggled for runs in the last couple of months, also got back into the groove, dishing out his trademark shots to the delight of a vociferous home crowd in Mumbai.
KKR could not finish with a flurry after Venkatesh Iyer’s dazzling century
The home side, led by stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav, won the toss and decided to bowl first on a belter of a wicket on a momentous occasion at the Wankhede. The Mumbai-based franchise also handed a much-anticipated debut to Arjun Tendulkar, who was handed the cap by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
KKR were off to a wobbly start after N Jagadeesan was dismissed for a five-ball duck in the second over of the match. However, it was a one-man show from thereon as Venkatesh Iyer took a liking to the Mumbai Indians pacers in the powerplay.
Although he did not receive much support from the other end, Iyer went on to smash a glittering century for his side, the second century of IPL 2023 and KKR’s first since Brendon McCullum’s century in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. Following his dismissal, the home side put a lid on the scoring rate in the latter stage of the innings as the visitors could only manage a par total of 185 runs despite their brilliant start.