IPL 2021: Tripathi, Iyer Star In Kolkata's 7 Wicket Win Over Mumbai
Rahul Tripathi and Venkatesh Iyer guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a seven-wicket win against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the 34th match of IPL 2021 on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 156, Shubman Gill and Iyer once again provided a solid start as they scored 40 in just three overs before Jasprit Bumrah broke through the formers' stumps.
Iyer and Tripathi continued with the momentum as KKR finished the powerplay with 63 runs on the board. The two continued to play aggressively and added 88 runs in 52 balls for the second wicket.
Their partnership finished Mumbai's hopes of coming back into the game. After Iyer got out, Tripathi finished the game with 29 balls to spare and remained unbeaten on 74 from 42. The win took Kolkata Knight Riders to the 4th spot in the points table as Mumbai Indians slipped to sixth.
Earlier, KKR put MI to bat first. Rohit Sharma, who was returning into the XI after missing the last game, and Quinton de Kock provided a terrific start as Mumbai scored 56 in the powerplay without losing a wicket. The pair added 78 runs before Sunil Narine got Rohit out for 33.
It was a bizarre night for the rest of the MI batters as they failed to stitch a partnership with de Kock, who was looking good at the other end. With pressure increasing, the South African wicket-keeper too mistimed an attempted shot to a fielder.
Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya added 30 from 18 balls to take Mumbai to a competitive total of 155, but it was still below par in these conditions of Abu Dhabi.
Brief Scorecard:
Mumbai Indians - 155/6 (Quinton de Kock - 55; Lockie Ferguson - 2/27)
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Kolkata Knight Riders - 159/3 in 15.1 overs (Rahul Tripathi - 74*, Venkatesh Iyer - 53)