Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders – two teams that have won the IPL twice previously – locked horns against each other at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in Qualifier 2 of the Playoffs.
With both teams chasing yet another IPL title, the clash for a berth in the finals was expected to be epic. However, it turned out to be a disappointing affair as KKR simply didn’t turn up on the big day. Batting first, the Knight Riders were bundled out for a paltry 107. Mumbai Indians won the match by six wickets and joined the Rising Pune Supergiant in Sunday’s final.
Extra Cover: 5 memorable moments from Mumbai Indians’ win over Kolkata Knight Riders that don’t fade away
Here’s a look at how players from both sides fared in Qualifier 2:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Suryakumar Yadav – 6
Suryakumar Yadav has been unimpressive for KKR throughout this season. But when the chips were down against Mumbai, Yadav batted in his natural aggressive style and scored a quick 25-ball 31. He found an ally in Ishank Jaggi in a partnership that rebuilt the KKR innings.
Piyush Chawla – 6
Chawla couldn’t contribute with the bat but chipped in with two big wickets. Although he sent back the dangerous pair of Lendl Simmons and Ambati Rayudu for single digit scores and finished with figures of 2/34 off his 4 overs, it wasn’t enough in the end.
Ishank Jaggi – 5
With half their side back in the pavilion for just 31 by the end of the 7th over, KKR had no option but to play it safe and move steadily towards a respectable score. Jaggi was the sedate half of the 56-run partnership for the 6th wicket that saved KKR from being bowled out for an embarrassing score. The Jharkhand batsman scored 28(31).
Nathan Coulter-Nile – 4
With 15 scalps from just 8 games, Coulter-Nile has been amongst the wickets in IPL 2017. However, his only wicket on the day was that of Rohit Sharma which was too little too late for KKR. He finished with respectable figures of 1/15 in 3 overs.
Sunil Narine - 3
At the end of their campaign this year, KKR would probably reflect on their decision to persist with Sunil Narine at the top of the batting order even in the more crucial games of the tournament, when they could have reverted to a more solid opening pair.
Despite all its initial gains, the experiment with Narine tapered off in the end. In the qualifier against Mumbai, Narine could contribute only 10 runs. With the ball, he was steady and finished with economical figures of 0/21 in 4 overs.
Umesh Yadav - 1
Umesh Yadav suffered a rare off day and was taken for plenty by Parthiv Patel in the opening overs, although he did have the last laugh. Parthiv was his only wicket of the day and he finished with unimpressive figures of 1/23 in 2.3 overs.
Chris Lynn - 1
Having been put in to bat first, KKR would have banked on Lynn to get stuck into the bowling at the start in their pursuit of a huge score. However, that was not to be. The Aussie failed to deliver in this crucial encounter and was dismissed cheaply for just 4 runs.
Gautam Gambhir - 3
The KKR captain is a big match player, but he couldn’t quite replicate it today as he was dismissed for 12.
Robin Uthappa – 1
Uthappa, after starting off the season very impressively, has flattered to deceive in the latter stages of the tournament. Following up from scores of 0, 2 and 1 in his last 3 outings, Uthappa once failed with the bat. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 1 before being trapped in front by Bumrah off the third delivery he faced.
Colin de Grandhomme - 0
The Kiwi all-rounder, who replaced his countryman Trent Boult in the starting XI, was dismissed for a golden duck and did not bowl in the second innings.
Ankit Rajpoot – 0
Replacing Yusuf Pathan in the XI, Rajpoot bowled just the solitary over and conceded 14 runs.
Mumbai Indians
Karn Sharma – 10
Mumbai Indians found an unexpected hero in Karn Sharma. Introduced in just the 5th over of the innings, the leggie had Narine stumped in his first over. In his next over, he sent back Gautam Gambhir and Colin de Grandhomme off consecutive deliveries, thus breaking through the KKR top order.
Coming back in his final over, Karn ended a 56-run partnership between Ishank Jaggi and Suryakumar Yadav by dismissing the former, and ended with excellent figures of 4/16.
Jasprit Bumrah – 9
Bumrah bowled his heart out and claimed excellent figures of 3/7 in his 3 overs. With the prized scalp of Chris Lynn in his very first over, he delivered a telling blow very early in the innings. He added Robin Uthappa and Suryakumar Yadav to his tally later.
Krunal Pandya – 9
With the target offering no scoreboard pressure, all-rounder Krunal Pandya utilised the opportunity to get himself into form ahead of the all-important final. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 45 off 30 balls and bowled 3 overs for 25.
Mitchell Johnson – 7
Making his way back into the side in place of Mitch McClenaghan, Johnson bowled a steady spell with the new ball, keeping runs at a minimum. He also picked up the wickets of Piyush Chawla and Coulter-Nile at the end and finished with figures of 2/28.
Lasith Malinga – 6
After Mumbai Indians ran through the top order, Malinga bowled economically through the middle overs. He finished with figures of 1/24 in his 3.5 overs.
Rohit Sharma – 6
The Mumbai Indians captain was excellent on the field with his bowling changes. With the bat, he scored 26 runs and featured in a 54-run stand with Krunal Pandya, which ensured an easy victory for the Mumbai Indians after initial hiccups.
Parthiv Patel - 4
Parthiv was in a hurry at the start of the Mumbai Indians innings, hitting Umesh Yadav for 3 boundaries. However, his innings was cut short by the same bowler when he was dismissed caught behind for 14.
Lendl Simmons – 1
Simmons’ struggles with the bat continued. Following scores of 0 and 5 in his last couple of innings, the West Indian was dismissed for 3 runs by Piyush Chawla.
Ambati Rayudu – 1
Rayudu made a grand comeback from his injury layoff, scoring 63 against the same side during the league stage clash. However, his was an innings of struggle today. The Mumbai Indians star played 11 balls for his 6 runs before becoming the second of Chawla’s victims.
Kieron Pollard – 1
Pollard remained unbeaten on 9 as Mumbai Indians sealed the victory and had a minimal role in the match otherwise.
Hardik Pandya – N/A
Hardik Pandya bowled just one over in the match and was not required to bat.
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