De Kock slams unbeaten 78 to fashion Mumbai victory
Quinton de Kock (78 runs off 44 balls) powered Mumbai Indians’ chase with some splendid strokes as they raced to an eight-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Friday night.
De Kock and skipper Rohit Sharma (35 off 36) gave Mumbai a superb start, putting on 94 runs. After that they never looked, coasting to 149/2 in 16.5 overs. Shivam Mavi was the pick of the Kolkata bowlers.
Earlier, Kolkata ran into trouble after electing to bat. They lost five batsmen inside 11 overs, with the total reading 61. New captain Eoin Morgan (39 runs off 29 balls) and Pat Cummins (53 off 36) shored up the Kolkata innings with an 87-run partnership, but 148 was never good enough to test Mumbai’s vaunted batting.
Relive the match as it happened...
Half-time report: Mumbai should defeat Kolkata with ease
New captain Eoin Morgan (39 runs off 29 balls) and Pat Cummins (53 off 36) rescued Kolkata Knight Riders with an 87-run partnership in Abu Dhabi tonight. But the total of 148/5 may not be enough to beat the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020. Electing to bat, Kolkata ran into trouble losing their five wickets batsmen inside 11 overs, with the total reading 61. Mumbai spinners Rahul Chahar (2-18) and Krunal Pandya choked off the runs, as Kolkata struggled for momentum after early strikes by Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile. Cummins played with freedom, breaking free off the shackles. He was lucky to be dropped by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, and Kolkata made full use of it in the final over. Yet, a target of 149 is not beyond Mumbai’s reach unless the batsmen hit the self-destruct button.
Also read
- IPL 2020 in UAE: Dinesh Karthik hands over Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy to Eoin Morgan
- IPL 2020 in UAE: Eoin Morgan as Kolkata Knight Riders captain makes perfect sense
- IPL 2020 in UAE: Pace aces provide the firepower in powerplay
- In pictures: Pakistan's Mudassir Gujjar, who aims to be the tallest cricketer
