Mumbai Indians pulled things back to stay alive in IPL 2018

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Mumbai Indians revived their campaign after they pulled things back to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 13-runs in a must-win game at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on (May 6). However, KKR fought hard, led by Robin Uthappa's 54 off 35 balls but MI were too good to restrict them 13 runs before to the target.

Turning point of the match



Kolkata Knight Riders were going well despite losing two early wickets on 28. But Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana were not only built a solid partnership but also they were taking the game slowly away from the Mumbai Indians before twist came into play. Uthappa, who was well settled on 54, tried to hit Mayank Markande over long-off but couldn't connect well and handed a simple catch to Ben Cutting. When he got out, KKR were 112 for 3 in 12.3 overs. After that, MI didn't give any chance to KKR and won comfortably in the end by 13 runs.

Experiment backfired KKR

Knight Riders began their chase with the slightly different combination at up the order as they sent Shubman Gill as an opener instead of Sunil Narine with Chris Lynn. However, the decision didn't make any sense as Narine was quite successful as an opener and also Gill, who got his maiden IPL fifty at no. 4 in the previous match.



The the decision backfired on KKR as Shubman Gill could only manage 7 off 5 balls. On the other hand, Narine who wasn't used to play under pressure, came out to bat at no. 6 and couldn't hold the pressure of required run rate and got out to Krunal Pandya in trying to hit for a maximum. He could score only 5 of 4 balls.

MI off to a flier after putting bat first

KKR's skipper had won the toss and put MI to bat first. MI took full advantage of the hardness of the pitch as their openers gave them a solid start. Suryakumar Yadav continued his fine form and got fourth 50 plus score of this IPL and Lewis also found his lost touch and got quick fire 43 off 28 balls with the help of 5 fours and 2 sixes. The duo put on a 91-run stand off 56 balls before Lewis got out to Andre Russell. Yadav, after scoring 59 off 39 balls (7 fours & 2 sixes).



Hardik Pandya's all-round effort saw trough MI home

It was Hardik's all-round show that made the difference. He, first contributed with the bat when MI looked in a bit trouble. His 35 off 20 balls lifted MI to 181 after 20 overs. But his contribution with the ball was phenomenal as he dismissed Shubman Gill and dangerous Nitish Rana. In his 4 overs, he gave away only 19 runs. In the end, his spell proved to be pivotal.

He was awarded Man Of The Match for his all-round effort and also received Purple Cap (Leading wicket taker).

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