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Old rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will lock horns in the fifth match of IPL 2021 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai tonight (April 13).
MI and KKR will go into their second match of the tournament on Tuesday with contrasting fortunes.
Rohit Sharma’s men went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a last-ball thriller in their IPL 2021 opener. Meanwhile, KKR got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with a professional all-round display. They posted a competitive score batting first before restricting SRH with some tight bowling.
However, against MI, KKR wouldn't want to look at the head-to-head numbers. The two-time IPL champions have won only six of 27 meetings against MI.
Nevertheless, as MI and KKR prepare to renew acquaintances, let's look back at three of the best batting performances in KKR-MI clashes over the years.
#3 Quinton de Kock (MI) 78 not out off 44 - IPL 2020 (in Abu Dhabi)
South Africa’s prolific wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has done an amazing job with the bat for MI over the last few seasons.
In a batting line-up brimming with superstars, De Kock has made his presence felt at MI in no uncertain terms, amassing over 500 runs in each of his last two IPL campaigns.
One of his most dominating performances with the willow came against KKR last year in Abu Dhabi.
MI were set to chase 149 for victory. With a less than competitive total on the board, KKR were looking for early wickets. However, De Kock did not give them any chance, taking on the KKR bowling and hammering them brutally.
Click here to know the latest purple cap holder in IPL 2021.
The left-hander slammed nine fours and three sixes against a decent attack comprising of Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russell.
KKR could not make any impression on De Kock as the South African batsman returned undefeated on 78 off 44 balls. De Kock featured in an opening stand of 94 with MI captain Rohit Sharma as the eventual champions eased home by eight wickets.
Earlier, Rahul Chahar’s 2 for 18 restricted KKR to 148 for 5. They were in the dumps at 61 for 5 before Cummins’ unbeaten 53 off 36 balls provided their total a semblance of respectability.
#2 Andre Russell (KKR) 80 off 40 - IPL 2019 (in Kolkata)
On his day, Andre Russell can be one of the most destructive batsmen in the T20 format. In IPL 2019, he was in a zone of his own, blasting 510 runs off 249 balls at an incredible strike rate of 204.81.
MI bowlers were at the receiving end of one of Andre Russell's many brutal assaults during the season. In a game played at the Eden Gardens, Russel blazed away to an unbeaten 80 off only 40 balls.
It was a breathtaking display of big hitting, featuring eight monster sixes and six fours.
Russell’s blitzkrieg took KKR to an imposing 232 for 2 in their allotted 20 overs. Openers Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn also played their part, scoring 76 off 45 and 54 off 29, respectively.
Expectedly, MI bowlers finished with highly expensive figures. Lasith Malinga was taken for 48 in his four; Jasprit Bumrah conceded 44, while Rahul Chahar went for 51.
For MI, Hardik Pandya responded with a brutal 91 off 34 balls. However, it was a one-man show, as he found little support at the other end. Nevertheless, thanks to Pandya's exploits, MI gave a valiant chase but fell short by 34 runs in a high-scoring affair.
#1 Rohit Sharma (MI) 109 not out off 60 - IPL 2012 (in Kolkata)
Surprisingly, MI captain Rohit Sharma has only one hundred in the IPL, which came way back in the 2012 edition of the competition against KKR in Kolkata.
In that innings, the right-hander bludgeoned the KKR attack into submission by racing away to an unbeaten 109 off only 60 deliveries. The MI captain, who has made a name for himself with his penchant for sixes, smashed five maximums and 12 fours during his memorable knock.
Batting first after winning the toss, MI lost Sachin Tendulkar for two. Rohit Sharma then featured in an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 167 with South African Herschelle Gibbs (66 not out off 58).
MI piled up a mammoth score of 182 for 1, a challenging total back in the day when players were still finding their feet in the T20 format.
Despite Jacques Kallis’ 79 off 60 balls, MI’s total proved beyond KKR’s reach, as the eventual champions managed only 155 for 4 in response.
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