Hits and Duds-Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Kight Riders played a closely fought match at the Wankhede Stadium. It was a game that had a nail-biting finish with the Mumbai Indians triumphing in a thrilling chase.

HITS

Nitesh Rana- The uncapped 23 year old from Delhi made the big stage his own. His 50 of 29 balls completely changed the dimension of the game and turned the tides in the favour of the Mumbai Indians. Having lost Kieron Pollard, with 49 runs needed of 17 balls, it seemed all over for the Mumbai Indians but Rana then went on an onslaught setting up an ideal platform for Hardik Pandya to lead the hosts to victory in Mumbai.

Manish Pandey- Pandey showed his vital importance to this Kolkata Knight Riders side with a magnificent knock of 81 not out. Lately, he has become a member of the Indian squad and the exhibited his capabilities in a brilliant knock in front a hostile Mumbai crowd. His last over blitz over Mitchell McClenaghan lifted KKR from a below par score to a competitive 178.

Krunal Pandya- Having been thrashed in the first match vs Rising Pune Supergiants, Krunal Pandya made a strong comeback in this match. The left arm spinner finished his spell with numbers of 3-24 in his quota of 4 overs. This also included the vital wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa in the same over within the powerplay.

DUDS

Rohit Sharma- The Mumbai Indians captain has so far underwhelmed with his start to the season. Despite being given out LBW to a clear inside edge, his form remains a concern for the Mumbai with two consecutive single digit scores following a long break from Injury.

Yusuf Pathan- When in charge, there are hardly any bigger match winners in the IPL than Yusuf Pathan. But he failed to impress at the Wankhede Stadium following prey to Baroda teammate Krunal Pandya. His below expectation score of 6 in 11 balls halted the Knight riders charge in the middle overs.

Trent Boult- The Knight riders invested a lot of hopes in Boult but on the night in Mumbai he just wasn’t good enough. Conceding 47 runs in 3.5 overs Boult turned out be a major disappointment for Gautam Gambhir’s side. His cause wasn’t helped by misfielding and a dropped catch in the last over but being one of the best in the world, a lot better is expected from him.