IPL 10, Qualifier 2, MI v KKR – Mumbai Indians Player Ratings

The second Qualifier of IPL 10 featured Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The pitch from the Eliminator match was slow and this game was expected to be a low-scoring one too. There was a rain threat looming over but fortunately, it didn’t play spoilsport. Ultimately, it was the Mumbai-based franchise that outplayed the KKR to set up the summit clash against Rising Pune Supergiant.

MI asked KKR to bat first after winning the toss and the decision proved to be the right one from the outset. The dangerous opening partnership of Lynn and Narine wasn’t allowed to score big which increased the pressure on the middle-order. The wickets kept falling at regular intervals and the innings never found momentum as KKR were bowled out for an under par 107.

MI’s innings began with three quick wickets and they were pegged back early. But a solid partnership of 54 runs between Rohit Sharma and Krunal Pandya gave them control of the required run-rate. The got home in the 15th over and won the match by 6 wickets to enter the final.

Here’s how the Mumbai Indians’ players performed in the match:

Lendl Simmons – 2/10

The target for MI wasn’t a big one and a decent start would have given them solidity. But Simmons failed to provide that at the start and departed in the second over for just 3 runs off 6 balls. A quick googly from Piyush Chawla struck him on the front pad as he was leaning forward and the umpire obliged to the appeal. The replays suggested that the ball was going on to miss the leg stump but Simmons, unfortunately, had to walk back.

Parthiv Patel – 4/10

The left-hander began well as he hit Umesh Yadav for a boundary in the first over with a delightful cover drive. He took a liking to the bowler once more in the 3rd over and collected 2 consecutive boundaries. But as he seemed like getting into the groove, Yadav took his revenge in the same over. A faint edge to the keeper to a delivery outside off cut short his knock to 14 off 9 balls.

Ambati Rayudu – 3/10

A factor for MI’s great run this season – Nitish Rana, was fit to play before the game but the team management decided to stick with the experienced Rayudu. But he couldn’t repay the faith and became the second victim of Chawla. He expected the ball to turn and played inside the line but missed it altogether as it cannoned into the stumps and he had to make the long walk for 6 off 11 balls.

Rohit Sharma – 7/10

The skipper was instrumental with his changes of bowling and the field placements that didn’t allow the KKR to set a big score. While batting, he was in at 24/2 which further degraded to 34/3 soon. Rohit steadied the ship and provided the much-needed stability. He scored 26 off 24 balls on a surface that was hard to bat. He lost his wicket in the 13th over while looking to be aggressive but not before he had taken his team at the doors of victory.

Krunal Pandya – 8.5/10

The left-hander bowled 3 overs and gave away 25 runs in the KKR innings. Later, he walked in to bat at 34/3 when the team was in a spot of bother. Krunal combined well with his captain and added 54 runs for the 4th wicket. It was a perfectly paced knock from him that didn’t let the required run-rate creep up. He finished unbeaten at 45 off 30 balls and also hit the winning runs.

Kieron Pollard – 4/10

The West Indian didn’t have too much to do in the game as he wasn’t given a chance to bowl. With the bat too, he came in when MI were already in control of the chase. Krunal was playing well at the other end and Pollard played second fiddle to him and scored an unbeaten 9 off 7 balls.

Hardik Pandya – 4/10

Hardik didn’t get too many chances to contribute and bowled just the solitary over in which he conceded just 4 runs. During MI’s innings, he was padded and was ready to go in but his elder brother ensured that he didn’t have to bat.

Karn Sharma – 9.5/10

MI stuck with the leg-spinner in the playing XI instead of the experienced Harbhajan Singh. Karn proved his selection worth as he bagged figures of 16/4 in 4 overs. He was instrumental in halting the KKR score to a moderate one as he claimed the crucial wickets of Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir, Colin de Grandhomme and Ishank Jaggi. His consistent lines and lengths kept the KKR batsmen at bay and made them work hard for every single run.

Mitchell Johnson – 7/10

The Australian replaced the injured Mitchell McClenaghan in the XI and he didn’t let his team feel the absence of their leading wicket-taker. He bowled the first over of the innings and gave away just 3 runs that mounted the pressure on Chris Lynn who fell in the next over. Johnson bowled at pace and varied his pace that troubled the batsmen. He dismissed Piyush Chawla and Nathan Coulter-Nile at the death to finish with figures of 28/2 in 4 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah – 9/10

The Indian pacer continued on his merry way this season and picked up 3 wickets for just 7 runs in 3 overs. He sent back the dangerous Lynn in the second over of the innings that inflicted a collapse in the KKR line-up. He bagged another vital wicket in the form of Robin Uthappa and KKR failed to recover from the blow. During the slog overs, he accounted the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav who setting up for a big finish.

Lasith Malinga – 6.5/10

The Sri Lankan has been a wonderful contributor over the years for MI but this season, he hasn’t been close to his best. He was hammered for a six in the first over by Sunil Narine and conceded 9 overall. His next over went for 4 runs but Suryakumar smashed him for 2 fours in his 3rd over. But Malinga put the final nail in the coffin as he dismissed Ankit Rajpoot courtesy a well disguised slower ball and ended with figures of 24/1 in 3.5 overs.