 "Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane (centre) walks back after getting dismissed by Mumbai Indians pacer Ashwani Kumar. AP")
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane lamented his team’s “collective batting failure” after the defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions had been thoroughly routed by five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. MI became the latest team to open their account in the 18th season of the IPL after bundling KKR out for a paltry 116 with a clinical bowling performance headlined by Ashwani Kumar, who collected 4/24 on debut.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton later smashed an unbeaten 62 to guide his team to an eight-wicket victory with nearly seven overs to spare , resulting in a swap between KKR and MI, who were ranked sixth and 10th respectively on the IPL points table before the game.
The Knight Riders were off to a disastrous start after they were invited to bat, with openers Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock dismissed within the first two overs with just two runs on the board by Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar respectively. KKR never recovered from the early jolts, and kept losing wickets at regular intervals thereafter.
“Collective batting failure. It was a good wicket to bat on as I mentioned in the toss. 180-190 would have been good on this wicket. It has a very good bounce. Sometimes you have to use the pace and bounce. We got to learn really fast from this game.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Couldn’t do much with the ball. They tried their best. But not much runs on the board. We kept on losing wickets. Four wickets in the powerplay. It was difficult to consolidate and get that total on the board. You need that partnership going. You need one batsman to stay till the end,” Rahane said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Pandya praises MI’s scouting network
His MI counterpart Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, heaped praise on the franchise’s scouting network for discovering another hidden gem in Ashwani in the domestic circuit while praising his team for their dominant performance in their first home game of the season.
“Very satisfying to win, especially at home. The way we did it, as a group, everyone chipped in - can’t be happier. It’s always a challenge of picking one guy here and there. With our team it’s pretty sorted with the players who we are backing,” Pandya said in his first post-match interview as the winning captain this season.
“This wicket just offered a bit more and we thought Ashwani can come in and bowl the way he bowled. First of all, it’s all because of the scouts. All MI scouts have gone all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game and it looked like he had that zip and late swing, had a different action and plus he is a leftie.
“The way he took that wicket of Russell was a very crucial wicket. And especially, how he started with that catch of Quinton. Was great to see a fast bowler jumping that high. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a great sign for everyone to chip in and kick of the tournament for us,” the all-rounder added.
Ashwani reveals he had skipped lunch ahead of his IPL debut
Ashwani, who became the first Indian to collect four or more wickets on IPL debut, had earlier revealed that he had skipped lunch due to the nervousness of making his maiden appearance in the world’s biggest T20 league.
“I felt very good, there was pressure but the team environment helped me to settle down. I didn’t have lunch today, I only ate a banana, there was some pressure so I didn’t feel hungry. I made a bit of plan, they (team management) told me that it’s my debut match so enjoy yourself and back your skills.
“The captain also played his role, Hardik bhai told me to bowl it into the wicket. Everyone back in the village will be watching me play, I got my opportunity today and I’m very happy,” the left-arm pacer from Punjab had said during the innings break.