Under mounting scoreboard pressure, wickets fell at regular intervals, and the Kolkata innings soon lay in shambles
Mumbai Indians' Ishan Kishan in full flow against KKR in Kolkata yesterday. Pic/AFP
Kolkata buckled under the weight of a 211-run chase at the Eden Gardens as Mumbai made it two-out-of-two in back-to-back battles between the two sides. The 102-run victory, coming on the heels of Sunday's 13-run triumph at the Wankhede, had Mumbai leapfrog Kolkata on Net Run Rate occupy the fourth rung on the league ladder. Kolkata have consigned themselves to an onerous task in the race for playoff berths.
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Under mounting scoreboard pressure, wickets fell at regular intervals, and the Kolkata innings soon lay in shambles. They were shot out for 108 in the 19th over, the big margin of defeat a debilitating double blow as their run-rate dipped dangerously. It was Ishan Kishan, 19, who inspired the resurgence that saw the visitors post an imposing total after being asked to take first strike, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper hammering the joint second fastest fifty of the season en route to a 21-ball 62. Hardik Pandya and Ben Cutting made the most of the momentum with a flurry of sixes towards the end while skipper Rohit Sharma, not quite himself this night, still managed a 31-ball 36 before he fell trying to force the pace.
Mumbai players celebrate the wicket of Kolkata opener Sunil Narine yesterday
Mumbai's openers had again provided the platform with a 46-run partnership, Suryakumar Yadav continuing in his purple patch, but Kolkata still had reasonable control on the scoring-rate. Evin Lewis scored a 13-ball 18 and Yadav fell just when he was beginning to acquire ominous proportions, his pull picking up the man at deep mid-wicket. His 32-ball 36 had five fours and a six. Kolkata seemed to have opened up possibilities by getting rid of form man Suryakumar with skipper Rohit still struggling at the other end.
Kishan's fifty, scored off just 17 deliveries, came off the third of four successive sixes against Kuldeep Yadav as the 14th over yielded 25 runs. Kishan lofted Narine for another six in the next over but was caught attempting another one. By then the third wicket had produced 82 runs off 34, and Mumbai were well positioned for that final onslaught. Hardik and Cutting ensured that it didn't go abegging. The chase floundered from the very first over with Sunil Narine holing out to wide mid-on in the very first over.
Bollywood actor and Kolkata co-owner Shah Rukh Khan at Eden Gardens yesterday. Pic/PTI
Also Read: T20 2018: Mumbai Beat Kolkata By 102 Runs
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