IPL 2018: Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya guide MI to 13-run win over KKR, keep playoff hopes alive

Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav’s successive half-century and an all-round performance from Hardik Pandya powered Mumbai Indians to a 13-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, keeping them in playoffs contention in the Indian Premier League. Yadav (59 off 39) continued his rich run with a fourth fifty of the tournament before Pandya (35* off 20) plundered the KKR attack to nudge the hosts to 181 for four. Yadav’s opening partner Evin Lewis (45 off 28) too made a valuable contribution in the 91-run stand. KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik (36* off 26) tried his best to get his team over the line but was unable to after the visitors needed 60 runs off the last 30 balls. [caption id=“attachment_4458251” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Mumbai Indians celebrate dismissal of KKR’s Shubman Gill. MI pick up 2nd successive win to stay alive in tournament. PTI[/caption] By the final over, KKR needed 23 runs and Krunal Pandya defended them comfortably with the innings ending at 168 for six. Robin Uthappa’s (54 off 35) first fifty-plus score of the competition also went in vain. It was another much-needed win for slow starters Mumbai, who had beaten KXIP on Friday. They remain in the fifth spot in the standings with eight points, having earned their fourth win in 10 games. KKR, on the other hand, remain in the top-four with 10 points after their fifth loss in 10 matches. Chasing a stiff 182, KKR lost both the openers Chris Lynn (17) and Shubman Gill (7) quickly, leaving them at 28 for two. Then Rana and Uthappa, who got a life on 4, resurrected the innings with an 84-run stand. They hammered spinners Pandya and Mayank Markande as the two amassed 30 runs in just two overs. Uthappa, who was dropped by Markande, smashed him for two consecutive sixes. After Uthappa’s and Rana’s dismissal, the asking rate went up steeply and the target proved to be too much. For Mumbai, Hardik (2-19) was the pick of the bowlers while Markande, Bumrah, Krunal and Mitchell McClenaghan picked up a wicket each. Earlier, Mumbai openers Yadav and Lewis set the platform for a challenging total. Yadav made his intentions clear by hammering debutant Prasidh Krishna for a boundary. Then he punished Australian Mitchell Johnson, pulling him for a six and followed up with two fours as the over went for 15 runs. Lewis, who was playing second fiddle, freed his arms striking two consecutive fours off Sunil Narine. Lewis then pulled Krishna for a towering six over deep square-leg. Bowling changes did not work for KKR as the West Indian welcomed Piyush Chawla with a six over mid-wicket before smashing two consecutive fours as Mumbai raced to 56/0 after the powerplay period. They hit seven fours and three sixes in the first six overs. Yadav and Lewis, who got a life on 38, continued their brutal assault as the hosts raced to 82/0 in just eight overs. But as the two were poised for a big score, Andre Russell broke their stand removing Lewis, who was caught by Chris Lynn, in the 10th over. Lewis struck five fours and two sixes in his knock. The openers fall led to KKR bowlers making a strong comeback. The away team conceded only 43 runs from overs 9-15, bringing the run rate down drastically. Krunal (14) also did not contribute much as he gave a sitter to Shubman Gill off Narine. A late cameo by Hardik helped the three-time champions cross the 180-run-mark. Hardik struck two fours in the final over with JP Duminy (13 not out) at the other end. Russell (2-12) and Narine (2-35) were the picks of the bowlers for KKR.