Rohit Sharma played a captain’s knock, scoring an unbeaten 68, while Kieron Pollard smashed 51 not out in just 17 balls to power defending champions Mumbai Indians to a comfortable six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Rohit, who made 84 not out when the teams met in the first leg clash at Kolkata, continued to be the thorn in KKR’s flesh while Pollard took the game away with his whirlwind knock that contained six huge hits over the fence and two fours.
Rohit put on 72 runs in 30 balls for the unbroken fifth wicket with Pollard, who belted three sixes each in two overs as MI chased down the competitive score of 174 for five with two overs to spare. Rohit had earlier put on 59 runs for the second wicket with Ambati Rayudu (32) to lay the platform for the mayhem that followed with Pollard hammering a string of towering sixes, including the winning hit off the hapless Jaydev Unadkat to finish off the match in brutal fashion.
It was MI’s 13th win in 18 head-to-head clashes against KKR and their fourth victory this season in eight appearances that boosted their points tally to eight.
This was also two-time title-winners KKR’s second loss, both to MI, in six matches this season.
MI lost opener Parthiv Patel in the second over, caught behind by Yusuf Pathan off Unadkat, but their two best batsmen of the season -- captain Rohit and one-down Rayudu -- not only repaired the innings but also gave it the early momentum.
Rayudu set the tone by attacking Shakib Al Hasan, smacking the Bangladesh left-arm spinner for a four and a six in the third over before the two batsmen turned their attention on Umesh Yadav and Unadkat in successive overs.
Rohit struck two fours on the off-side off Yadav before smashing Unadkat over square leg for a six.
Rayudu followed suit by pulling the left-arm pacer for three fours, including two identical steers to the third man fence, and the bowler gave away 19 runs in the sixth over at the end of which MI were ahead of the required run-rate with 64 on the board.
Rayudu departed in the next over, caught at deep mid-wicket off Shakib and the promoted Krunal Pandya, who was castled by Sunil Narine after missing a wild heave to leg to leave MI at 78 for three after nine overs.
Narine struck another blow by having Jos Buttler caught in the deep brilliantly by Chris Lynn with MI needing 69 from 42 balls.
Lynn was off balance when trying to take the catch, he but flicked the ball high, jumped over the rope and then came back into the field to complete the catch.
Score board
Kolkata Knight Riders: Robin Uthappa c Pollard b Harbhajan 36, Gautam Gambhir c Pollard b McClenaghan 59, Shakib Al Hasan c Parthiv b H Pandya 6, Surya Kumar Yadav c&b Southee 21, Andre Russell b Southee 22, Chris Lynn (not out) 10, Yusuf Pathan (not out) 19. Extras (LB-1) 1. Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 174.
Fall of wickets: 1-69, 2-77, 3-121, 4-130, 5-145.
Bowling: Tim Southee 4-0-38-2, Mitchell McClenaghan 4-0-33-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-34-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-32-1, Hardik Pandya 2-0-15-1, Krunal Pandya 2-0-21-0.
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (not out) 68, Parthiv Patel c Pathan b Umesh 1, Ambati Rayudu c Suryakumar c Shakib 32, Krunal Pandya b Narine 6, Jos Buttler c Lynn b Narine 15, Kieron Pollard (not out) 51. Extras (W-5) 5. Total (for 4 wkts, 18 overs) 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-67, 3-78, 4-106.
Bowling: Jaydev Unadkat 3-0-49-0, Umesh Yadav 2-0-19-1, Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-30-1, Sunil Narine 4-0-22-2, R Sathish 2-0-30-0, Andre Russell 3-0-28-0.