IPL 7: Kallis, Narine castle MI as KKR begins with a bang

Abu DhabiThe seventh Indian Premier League IPL kicked off at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Wednesdaywith an emphatic 41run win for Kolkata Knight Riders over Mumbai Indians as the evergreen Jacques Kallis set the tone with a 46ball 72 before Sunil Narine completed the task with four wicketsOpting to bat KKR rode on Kallis and Manish Pandeys 64 to post a competitive 163 for five before restricting Mumbai Indians to 122 for seven with Narine returning matchwinning figures of 420Sunil Narine had matchwinning figures of 4 for 20 File PicAfter Kallis and Pandeys exploits with the bat Morne Morkel and Narine showed KKR the way with the ball While Morkel had an economical figures of 116 with just two runs coming off his first two overs Narine picked up four for 20 Mumbai were off to a subdued start with Morkel not allowing an inch to free their arms The tall South African pacer was bowling to such an impeccable line and length that even the experienced Michael Hussey had no answer The first breakthrough though was effected by Narine who sneaked one through the bat and pad of Hussey It was a strong comeback by Narine after the Trinidadians second ball was deposited into the crowd by Aditya Tare 24 Spin was introduced from both ends early into Mumbai innings Jacques Kallis was handed the ball after Mumbai managed only 32 in the first powerplay Husseys departure brought Ambati Rayudu in the middle and giving him company was Tare who was on the lookout for quick runs However with pressure building up Tare succumbed when he gave a high return catch to Shakib Al Hasan who held on to it after a fumble There was a partnership of 61 runs for the third wicket between Rohit Sharma and Rayudu But the two fell in quick succession and after that the task was beyond for even the everdangerous Kieron PollardEarlier the evergreen Kallis stole the limelight with a 46ball 72 as KKR registered a competitive 1635 against MumbaiElecting to bat KKRs innings was built on a 131run secondwicket partnership between Kallis and Manish Pandey at the Sheikh Zayed StadiumPandey struck 64 off 53 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes KKR pummelled 73 runs in the last six overs with 14 coming in the final one courtesy Suryakumar YadavJacques Kallis was manofthematch for his 72Kallis who got a reprieve on 34 found the fence five times and cleared it thriceMumbais pace spearhead Lasith Malinga finished with impressive figures of 423The start was far from ideal for Knight Riders as they lost skipper Gautam Gambhir for nought in the second over to MalingaThe experienced lefthander had no answer to the Sri Lankan slingers yorker that uprooted the stumpsPandey and Kallis added valuable runs for the second wicket ensuring there was no further jolt for KKR till the 17th overPandey played some effective shots to keep the Mumbai attack at bay even as Kallis stood steady at the other end preferring to score at around runaballWhile Kallis was looking to steady the ship after the captains early dismissal Pandey launched into IPL debutant Corey Anderson hitting the New Zealand allrounder for a six and a fourThe tournaments first six went straight over the bowlers head as Pandey punished the overpitched delivery with easeSpin was introduced after KKR managed just 31 runs in the first powerplayMumbai though failed to make a breakthrough as KKR reached 63 for one at the halfway stageKallis meanwhile upped the tempo by picking Pragyan Ojha for special treatment smashing 20 runs with the help of two sixes and a four which also saw the team cross the 100run markThe South African then lofted Kieron Pollard on the onside for another boundary as the Mumbai outfit was getting frustratedThe drop catch by Malinga off Pollard suddenly assumed significance as Kallis then batting on 34 opened up after that A flurry of fours and sixes followed and Kolkata were sitting pretty when they entered the final oversMalinga who was brought back for his second spell knocked over Pandeys offstump to give his side a muchneeded breakthrough