Highlights, KKR vs MI, Cricket Score, IPL 2021, Match 5: Mumbai Indians clinch victory by 10 runs

Rahul Chahar, Man of the Match: Actually, they started quite well, so there was a bit of pressure and we also knew that I’d have to get some spin out of this wicket. But I was confident, I noticed there was some turn early on.

I’ve been playing the IPL for two or three years now, so I had confidence in my ability to get Shubman Gill’s wicket, even though he hit me for a six. I know Shubham, I’ve played with him many times in the U-19 setup. I know he can’t hit back to back sixes, I knew I could get him out.

My strong point is getting turn on the ball, even at speeds of 90 or so. 

I think my favourite wicket of the four I got today was that of Tripathi. It turned well and it was caught behind.

I had an idea that Nitish Rana would try to come out of the crease and try to hit me, because it was the last ball of the over. I knew he might take a chance, that’s why I put it beyond his reach.

Obviously, there are many advantages of having played with Rohit Sharma for so long. If I’m ever hit for fours and sixes, and my confidence takes a hit, he comes and talks to me. He motivates me, he has more belief in me than I do! And Mumbai Indians is a team that really takes care of their players, even during off-season, so that makes it feel like a family.

Trent Boult: Yeah obviously, it’s a good feeling to close out the game like that. It was a great game in the end and it shows you the importance of staying in it and keeping the pressure on.

Four tidy orders from Krunal, he played a big role in containing the run chase. 

It was pretty clear to see that the wicket wasn’t the best, but the spinners we have are very experienced and they bowled well as a unit and they had a great eight overs.

It’s always difficult to get going on a wicket like this, and we knew that if they came and tried to hit from the beginning, we could still cause them problems by putting the ball in the areas we’d discussed in meetings.

Last five overs today:

MI : 38/7
KKR : 20/3

Mumbai Indians win by 10 runs!

Trent Boult has massive responsibility on his shoulders. Will he buckle? His first ball is good, just a single. Almost got a wicket there too, that was a wild swing from Russell and it took a big inside edge. Karthik on strike, and he’s changed his bat. He knows he needs a boundary now. Can’t get one, he tries the reverse, but he hits straight to a fielder and runs a single. Russell now. This is good from Boult. Gorgeous delivery, and he gets the wicket of Russell! Russell was dumbfounded and tried to swat it away, but he hits right into the hands of Boult. He’s replaced by Pat Cummins. What can the Australian do? Not much, it turns out. It’s a blazing yorker from Boult, and Cummins is sent right back to the dugout. TAKE A BOW TRENT BOULT! Harbhajan is out now, and he needs a six. He doesn’t get one. It’s a single. And a dot. And Mumbai Indians have just pulled off a smash and grab of epic proportions! Against all odds, they win by 10 runs! Spectacular cricketing action, are you not entertained?

After 19 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 138/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 7 , Andre Russell 8)

Well, he dropped a catch in the last over, and he has the opportunity to make amends for it. It’s Bumrah to Karthik. Single. Karthik wanted to run two, but Russell turned him down. Is there a big shot coming? Nope, Russell miscues, it’s just a single. This is tense, thrilling stuff. You couldn’t have scripted a better contest. Two more singles. Bumrah’s switching up his deliveries, and he’s prevented any boundaries so far. It’s a dot ball. And one more! 15 runs needed from 6 balls.

After 18 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 134/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 5 , Andre Russell 6)

Krunal Pandya has been crucial for his side, and he’ll need to come up with a final over of real quality if they are to win this match. He almost gets the wicket of Russell, who hits it straight into the air, but Bumrah can’t take the catch. It was a tough one, moving every which way as it came down, but at this level, with the match at stake, he really should have taken it. Three runs off the over. 19 runs needed off 12.

After 17 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 131/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 3 , Andre Russell 5)

As he’s done on countless occasions before, Rohit Sharma turns to Jasprit Bumrah in times of trouble. Dot ball. Single. Dot ball. Dot ball. The buzzer goes and a gloom descends on MI. That’s a free hit and it’s Andre Russell at the crease. He hits it for a four. Of course he does. Two more singles to end the over. 22 runs needed from 18.

Best bowling figures for Rahul Chahar in IPL:

4/27 v KKR, Chennai, 2021*
3/19 v DC, Delhi, 2019
3/29 v RR, Jaipur, 2019

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 123/5 ( Dinesh Karthik (W) 1 , Andre Russell 0)

Stay rooted to your living room couches folks, the tides they are a turning! Krunal Pandya gets the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan, and Mumbai Indians are firmly in the ascendancy. We take a break for the strategic timeout, as Morgan assesses his options. Well, I say options, but under this type of pressure, there’s only one man he can look to: Dinesh Karthik. It’s not out of KKR’s reach, not by a long shot. 31 runs in 28 balls, that’s pretty straightforward. With Andre Russell and Karthik at the crease, it can be done. Oh, oh, oh! Russell was almost out there, he sends the ball straight back at Pandya, but the bowler can’t hold on, it bounces off his palm and out of his grasp. Still, great, great over. Just one run off it, and a wicket.

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 113/3 ( Nitish Rana 54 , Shakib Al Hasan 7)

KKR look like they’re struggling, and it’s Rohit Sharma who will bowl this over! It’s an absolutely shambolic start though, he rolls his ankle in the run-up to his very first delivery. That looks like a painful one. After a lengthy break, Sharma is back on his feet, and he looks like he’s going to continue. There’s a sheepish smile on his face, he knows that was comedy gold. He gives a boundary on the first ball, but that wasn’t a half bad delivery there. It outfoxed Shakib, who accidentally got a big inside edge on it. That could have been chopped on to the wicket. Five singles off the next five balls, and it’s 9 from the over.

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 97/2 ( Nitish Rana 45 , Eoin Morgan (C) 7)

Eoin Morgan’s out to bat, and he’ll be looking to steer his side out of this sticky situation. He’ll have Rana to help him out. Bumrah is going to bowl this over, and he begins with a single, before giving away four leg byes. Another leg bye off the next ball. Morgan then comes up with a moment of real ingenuity, he ramps a bouncer over Dinesh Karthik and it’s a boundary! Two more singles make it 12 off the over, this is not at all what MI need.

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 85/2 ( Nitish Rana 44 , Eoin Morgan (C) 1)

Rahul Chahar got a huge wicket in his last over, if he can get another, it might really be game on. His first ball is a single, the second a quickly-run doube. He strikes in the third! It’s a peach of a delivery, and Rahul Tripathi has no idea how to deal with it. It gets a nick and carries through to de Kock. I bet Rohit Sharma could kiss Chahar right now! Chahar’s next two deliveries are almost as good as the third, and they draw half-hearted appeals from MI, but the umpire is unconvinced. 4 runs and a wicket off the over.

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 81/1 ( Nitish Rana 43 , Rahul Tripathi 3)

Trent Boult comes back into the bowling attack, and his first three deliveries are all singles. Can he get another wicket and really put some pressure on KKR? Nope, he can’t, and what’s worse, Rana’s just hit him for a boundary there, that’s pulled over midwicket. Another single to end the over, and that’s 8 off it. The RRR is approaching the 7-run mark, KKR are finding this a bit too easy at the moment.

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 73/1 ( Nitish Rana 37 , Rahul Tripathi 1)

Rahul Chahar gets his first over of the night, and he’s greeted with a four by Shubman Gill, that’s sent racing behind square leg. Gill adds to his four with a six, putting some real juice into his shot and sending it over the boundary rope past long-on. Uh oh, what has Gill done there? He got a bit carried away, and he miscues his shot, sending it straight to Pollard at long-off. That’s a big wicket, but is it too little too late for MI?

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 62/0 ( Nitish Rana 37 , Shubman Gill 23)

Kieron Pollard gets a crack at bowling. Can the Trinidadian pacer make a dent in KKR’s batting? His first ball is a dot, I’m not sure what Rana was trying there, but I’m sure it didn’t work. Another dot ball from Pollard, and then Rana gets a good strong connection, it’s hammered wide of deep midwicket and just about evades a diving Trent Boult at the boundary line to go out for a 6. Rana hits a four off the very next ball, this one’s wide of sweeper cover. Two more singles make it 12 off the over, KKR are easing towards a win here.

After 7 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 50/0 ( Nitish Rana 26 , Shubman Gill 22)

Krunal Pandya’s back, his last over was quite economical. Can he do it again? Rohit Sharma’s really struggling to find an answer for the pair of Gill and Rana, and pace just does not seem to be doing the trick at the moment. Not the worst over from Krunal, he gives away just five runs. The final run brings up the 50-run mark for this partnership. We head into a strategic timeout, and Sharma has a lot of strategising to do.

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 45/0 ( Nitish Rana 23 , Shubman Gill 20)

Back to pace, Jansen to bowl his second over. That’s a bit of a risky single, Gill was almost run out there! Jansen tried to kick the ball onto the stumps, but his inner footballer deserted him, and he hoofed it wide. Had his kick been on target, Gill would almost definitely have been out. Well it wasn’t, and Gill punishes Jansen by hammering back-to-back boundaries, one over mid-on and the other past deep square! Jansen gets a dot ball in there, before Gill sends another boundary racing past him