IPL 2017: Mumbai Thrash KKR by 6 Wkts, Set up Final Against Pune
Mumbai Indians entered the final of the IPL 2017 with a convincing six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Mumbai Indians entered the final of the 2017 Indian Premier league (IPL) with a convincing six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru on Friday.
Opting to field after Rohit Sharma won the toss, Mumbai bowled out Kolkata for a paltry 107 in 18.5 overs, and then chased down the target with 33 balls to spare at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma was the star performer with the ball for Mumbai, returning excellent figures of 4/16 - the joint best effort by a spinner in an IPL knockout game, while Jasprit Bumrah provided fine support to pick 3/7 in three overs.
Krunal Pandya finished as Mumbai's top scorer with 45 off 30 balls, while Rohit add 26 runs to the total.
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Earlier, KKR off were to a disastrous start and were reeling at 31 for five at one stage, with Sharma and Bumrah doing the bulk of damage.
A 56-run partnership ensued between Suryakumar Kumar (31) and Ishank Jaggi (28), before the Mumbai bowlers struck again.
Mumbai exploited the conditions and rattled Kolkata batsmen from the very first over, having them on the mat at 31 for five in seven overs, after Rohit Sharma opted to field.
After Bumrah dismissed Chris Lynn for four in the second over, the 29-year-old Sharma emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, sending back KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir (12) and Colin de Grandhomme (0) off consecutive balls, besides castling Narine in the fifth over.
Ishank Jaggi (28) and Surayakumar Yadav (31) put on 56 runs for the sixth wicket in 47 balls, during which they belted five fours and one six, and saved KKR from further embarrassment.
KKR began the innings rather poorly, losing Lynn early, when he tried to loft Bumrah in the second over of the match.
Mumbai struck for the second time in the fifth over, removing Narine for 10, thanks to a superb googly by Sharma and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel did the rest at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In the very next over, Bumrah got his second wicket of the match, when he trapped Robin Uthappa plumb in front of the wicket.
In the seventh over, Karna Sharma removed captain Gautam Gambhir for 12 and Colin de Grandhomme 0 to reduce KKR to 31/5.
A face-saving partnership ensued before Mitchell Johnson claimed the wickets of Piyush Chawla and Nathan Coulter-Nile, leaving Kolkata at 101 for eight.
Bumrah and Lasith Malinga got the last two batsmen cheaply.
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