Kolkata Knight Riders lost to Mumbai Indians by 49 runs to get their IPL 2020 campaign started. This is the first time since 2013, that KKR gets off to a losing start in an IPL season.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have ended their losing streak in the UAE. They win after seven matches in the desert country. The KKR vs MI encounter had may talking points throughout the contest. Kolkata fell 49 runs short chasing Mumbai’s 195 runs banking on a swift knock from skipper Rohit Sharma.
However, we take a look at the 5 talking points fro KKR vs MI game:
Rohit Sharma’s Endless Love Affair with KKR Continues
Rohit Sharma scored his sixth fifty-plus score against Kolkata Knight Riders as he scored 80 of 54 balls to help Mumbai beat their opponents. In the process, he also brought up 900 runs against KKR, the most by any batsman against Dinesh Karthik’s team.
He had a feast, as the KKR bowlers fed him off short-pitched deliveries and he kept pulling them off the front foot. He was equally good against the spin of Sunil Narine as he countered his threat and took a toll on Kuldeep Yadav. It was a batting masterclass by the MI skipper after he fell cheaply in their opening encounter.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Becomes Fourth Player To Smash 200 Sixes In IPL
Bouncer Barrage By Pat Cummins & Co
On a flat Abu Dhabi wicket, tailor-made for big hitters, KKR bowlers consistently bowled short to Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. The balls sat up nicely for the opposition batsmen to just stand and deliver. As many as nine sixes were hit by the Mumbai batters, who made the KKR vs MI contest a one-sided one.
Importantly, there was no attempt by the KKR bowlers to bowl at the yorker length, throughout the 20 overs. This game thus is a good lesson for the KKR bowlers on what they should avoid doing on this pitch from next game onwards.
3) Clinical Mumbai Announce Comeback in KKR vs MI Encouter
It was a clinical performance from Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders after they went down to CSK in their opening encounter. The bowlers backed up the efforts by their batsmen and did not make the mistake which their counterparts did.
They bowled full and up to the stumps hitting the yorker length from time to time. Jasprit Bumrah accounted for Andre Russell in the much-anticipated match-up while Morgan and Karthik failed to fire as well. The margin of MI’s victory well states their domination in the game.
4) The KKR Middle-Order Conundrum
The KKR middle-order was supposed to be the best among all the teams at the start of the season. However, if their first game is anything to go by, it can be safely concluded, that they are yet to find their ideal combination. Also, the subject of Andre Russell’s batting position seems to be the most debated one.
KKR also did not pick the perfect team combination to go into their IPL 2020 opener against MI. The selection of Nikhil Naik and the reason behind it is yet to be clearly understood. He scored just 1 off 3 and was hardly visible in the field after the catch he took to dismiss Quinton de Kock. This is certainly among the 5 talking points from KKR vs MI game.
Also Read: IPL 2020, Match 5 KKR vs MI – Match Report
5) Mumbai Well Ahead in KKR vs MI Rivalry
The head-to-head count reads 20-6 in favour of Mumbai in this rivalry. Ex Kiwi pacer Simon Doull in his analysis of the match for Cricbuzz said that KKR do not know how to win against Mumbai while praising the disciplined Mumbai bowlers for their show against Kolkata.
Between 2016-2020, Mumbai have won 9 games out of 10 against KKR.
Also Read: IPL2020: KKR Skipper Dinesh Karthik Backs Pat Cummins After Poor Show Against MI