Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians ended a long wait for a winning start to an IPL season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets in a chase of 221 runs at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.Mumbai had not won their opening match of an IPL season since 2012, but they broke that run with a successful chase at home and they do it by pulling off their biggest chase in IPL history.Openers Rohit Sharma (78 off 38) and Ryan Rickelton (81 off 43) set up the chase with half-centuries, giving the team a strong start. The batters who followed kept the scoring going as Mumbai completed the chase.The last time Mumbai had won their opening game was in 2012 against Chennai Super Kings.Earlier, KKR posted 220 for 4 after half-centuries from captain Ajinkya Rahane (67) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51).Shardul Thakur returned figures of 3 for 39 and provided key wickets, though Mumbai’s bowlers found it hard to control the scoring. Trent Boult (0/38) and Jasprit Bumrah (0/35) went wicketless, but Bumrah’s overs at the end limited KKR from reaching closer to 250.Rahane got going early, hitting a six over wide long-on off Boult in the first over. KKR gained momentum in the fourth over when Hardik Pandya conceded 26 runs. Rahane hit two sixes down the leg side, while Finn Allen (37 off 17) added boundaries, including a scoop past the keeper.Allen had earlier taken on debutant Allah Ghazanfar for 17 runs in an over. Thakur dismissed Allen soon after, caught by Tilak Varma at long-on, but KKR were 78 for 1 at the end of the Power Play.KKR crossed 100 inside eight overs, with Rahane scoring at a high rate. However, Thakur’s wickets in separate spells slowed the innings.Cameron Green was dismissed after hitting a short ball to Sherfane Rutherford, who took a diving catch. Later, Thakur removed Rahane with a slower delivery outside off, caught by Pandya at cover.Rahane scored 67 off 40 balls, with five sixes and three fours. He also hit a six over Mayank Markande and another over midwicket off Ghazanfar.Raghuvanshi started slowly but picked up towards the end. He was dropped on 21 by Rohit off Ghazanfar in the 15th over. He later reached his fifty before being dismissed by Pandya in the 19th over for 51 off 29 balls, including six fours and two sixes.KKR finished on 220 for 4, but Mumbai chased the target to register their first opening-match win in IPL in over a decade.
