IPL 9, Match 5: KKR v MI - 5 Talking Points

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) plummeted to an unlikely loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI) playing at their home the Eden Gardens. The six-wicket win, despite being a hard-fought one, it saw MI lift themselves up following a defeat at home to the Rising Pune Supergiants. Skipper Rohit Sharma, now opening the batting for his side played a true captain’s knock as the chase was well and truly a cracker. Despite the win, a thought must be spared for Gautam Gambhir as he too played a skipper’s inning, thus ensuring that he won the orange cap for the time being. This is also perhaps one of the highest successful chases on the Eden Gardens.

1. Gambhir and Pandey lay solid foundation:

A rare failure to launch for Robin Uthappa proved to be a blessing in disguise for Manish Pandey. The latter joined his skipper in the middle for the battle against a fearsome Mumbai Indians bowling attack. Despite playing some fantastic shots initially, he played second fiddle to the amazing GG. It usually seems as though we as fans get to witness the class of Gambhir just once every year. While he played the long game by taking the odd singles, Pandey’s exuberance of youth paid off as he went after the Mumbai bowling from the word go. They stitched a partnership of exactly 100 in 60 deliveries, with Gambhir and Pandey scoring 64 and 52 respectively.

2. Andre Russell’ gambit:

Andre Russell is an entertainer. Although he doesn’t show it as much, the ones present in the stadium get on their feet. He is quintessentially a gladiator of sorts, with his helmet mask and a gigantic piece of willow and a ridiculous blonde mohawk. Russell was promoted up the order in a bid to up the ante. And up the ante he did. He faced just the four overs. Four overs that changed the course of the KKR innings. As is his game plan, Russell just swung the bat. He swung it at everything. However, this time, around it paid off, because scoring 36 off 17 deliveries is no joke. Apart from the one boundary, he smashed 4 maximums en route to his whirlwind 36.

3. Rohit Sharma’s story of class:

Form and class are seldom together. In the case of Rohit Sharma, there have been quite a few occasions he has been in form and classy. Well, in Rohit’s case on the night, it was a wonderfully mixed cocktail of both. He began his innings slowly, a trademark way to get your eye in. He then weighed the anchor, soaking up all the pressure of the run rate as well against the spin trio deployed by the Knight Riders. Even the poor shots, like the attempted helicopter shot from outside off-stump, had a touch of elegance. He remained unbeaten on 84 and subsequently picked up the man of the match award.

4. Fantastic Mr. McCleneghan:

The Mumbai Indians, in times of crisis, almost always have a trump card. Well, in this case, the trump card was Mitchell McCleneghan. After having done the job with the ball he displayed prowess with the bat. They needed some impulse, anything would have done at this stage. Out walked McCleneghan with the run rate soaring skywards. He faced eight deliveries. However, the impact he made in those 8 deliveries was, dare I say limitless. Three hits into the stands in quick succession and the run rate had plummeted. It was like the stock market crash as far as Gautam Gambhir and his band of merry men were concerned. A strike rate of 250 should tell you the story.

5. The Jos Buttler show:

Many eyebrows were raised when Jos Buttler came out to bat ahead of Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. He swung the bat aimlessly initially as the MI management’s heads collapsed into their hands. The ball was given to Andre Russell. Buttler was a picture of calm with the intensity evident from his stillness. Bang bang and bang. And just like that, the Mumbai Indians were within touching distance of a win. Despite being dismissed soon after for 41 off just 22, it was just a mere formality to hit the winning runs and secure the win.

How did the match pan out? – IPL 9, Match 5 Review: Rohit Sharma leads Mumbai to their first win