IPL 2016, MI vs KKR as it happened: Rohit, Pollard fifties help Mumbai win by six wickets

Powerplay: MI 64/1 to KKR's 59/0
Overs 7-16: MI 85/3 to KKR's 71/4
Overs 16-End: MI 29/0 to KKR's 44/1

Always a game of small margins.

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) April 28, 2016

KIeron Pollard's fifty is the fastest for Mumbai Indians in the IPL history #MIvKKR #IPL2016

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) April 28, 2016

Mumbai Indians win by 6 wickets!

Pollard has finished this off in a hurry. He brings up the FIFTY in just 17 balls. What blistering innings. What clean hitting. He smashes one over deep mid-wicket, then over long on and then over long off for three sixes off Unadkat to finish off the match.

Pollard tonite as Mumbai would like him to be. Makes such a big difference to the side!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 28, 2016

Rohit Sharma is on 66 off 47. Seems such a routine score today. In 1996 at the Eden Gardens, it killed a nationa's hopes. #MIvKKR

— Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) April 28, 2016

After 16 overs,Mumbai 149/4 ( Rohit Sharma 61 , Kieron Pollard 30)

Pollard might have turned the match around completely. Satish taken to the cleaners. Pollard hammers one over long off, then swings a couple over deep mid-wicket. 23 runs off the 16th over. 26 needed off 24.

Have to believe #MI ahead at this stage. Big over from Narine coming up

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 28, 2016

After 15 overs,Mumbai 126/4 ( Rohit Sharma 60 , Kieron Pollard 10)

Rohit and Pollard have kept the momentum going despite Buttler’s departure. Rohit crunches a cover drive off Russell and then slices one over backward point. Pollard then gets into the act and smashes one over Shakib’s head. He then whips one through mid-wicket for the second four of the over. 24 runs and one wicket in the last 3 overs.

OUT! Spectacular effort from Lynn. Buttler departs. JC Buttler c Lynn b Narine 15 (15b 2×4 0x6) 

Buttler smashes it like tennis forehand to long off, Lynn leaps in the air, pouches it overhead. He loses his balance but then flicks the ball in the air, gets outside the fence and then comes back in to pouch it. The third umpire after watching multiple replays, gives it out. Superb effort.

Kieron Pollard is the new batsman.

After 12 overs, Mumbai 102/3 ( Rohit Sharma 50 , Jos Buttler 11)

Just when it seemed KKR were looking to maintain stranglehold, Rohit and Buttler released some pressure. Butler at first smashed a cut over backward point for four and then Rohit pulled it over mid-wicket for another one in the over. Rohit then got to his fifty. 24 runs off the last 3 overs.

Most fifty plus scores in #IPL
29 - ROHIT SHARMA
29 - David Warner
29 - Gautam Gambhir #IPL2016 #MIvKKR

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) April 28, 2016

ROHIT SHARMA in #IPL2016 :

Batting 1st: 7, 7, 5, 0
Batting 2nd: 84*, 62, 65, 50*#MIvKKR

— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) April 28, 2016

Sunil Narine this game.

Off break - 8 balls, 9 runs
Carrom ball - 1 ball, 1 run
Doosra - 3 balls, 1 run, 1 wicket #MIvKKR

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 28, 2016

After 9 overs, Mumbai 78/3 ( Rohit Sharma 37 , Buttler )

KKR have pulled this back really well. Two wickets – Rayudu and Krunal in last 3 overs. Shakib, Sathish and Narine have done a really good job giving away a combined 14 runs in the last 3 overs.

OUT! Narine strikes. Krunal back in the hut. KH Pandya b Narine 6 (5b 1×4 0x6)

It’s a tad full delivery on middle, a leg cutter that spins back in. Krunal charges down the track and goes for a wild swing but misses. The ball shatters the timber.

OUT! Brilliant catch from Rayudu. A Rayudu c SA Yadav b Shakib Al Hasan 32 (20b 5×4 1×6)

It’s a tad full outside off, Rayudu charges down the track and looks to heave, he doesn’t connect well, Suryakumar Yadav runs to his right and plucks it out of thin air. He then throws the ball away very quickly. The umpire checks with the third umpire whether Suryakumar was in control of the ball and had it in grasp for a particular amount of time and replays show that Suryakumar Yadav had done really well. 

Krunal Pandya strides out to the middle.

After 6 overs, Mumbai 64/1 ( Rohit Sharma 30 , Ambati Rayudu 31)

Rohit and Rayudu turning it on. Rohit smashes a cut off Umesh and then crunches a cover drive for consecutive fours. He then sweeps one through square leg for a four before flicking one off Unadkat over deep square leg for a six. Rayudu then joins party with three fours in the same Unadkat over. 38 runs off the last 3 overs.

After 3 overs, Mumbai 26/1 ( Rohit Sharma 8 , Ambati Rayudu 16)

A mixed start for Mumbai Indians. Unadkat started off with a sharp bouncer off the first ball of the innings, Rohit somehow fended it away. But he hammered the next one, a bouncer, over deep mid-wicket for a six. Umesh then removed Parthiv off the first ball of his spell but Rayudu then made sure Mumbai got the momentum going as he flicked the first one he faced through square leg for four and then hit a four and a six off Shakib.

OUT! Umesh draws first blood. Poor shot from Parthiv. P Patel c Pathan b UT Yadav 1 (2b 0x4 0x6)

It’s wide outside off, on the length area. Parthiv chases and goes for a slash but ends up getting an outside edge. Yusuf Pathan at first slip takes a sharp catch moving to his left.

Ambati Rayudu is the new batsman.

KKR have posted 174/5

Bumrah bowled a very good last over but Mumbai’s fielding let them down. Another two catches were dropped, off consecutive balls. Southee the culprit on both occasions. Lynn heaved one straight to deep mdi-wicket and Southee fluffed it, then Pathan heaveed it in the same region and Southee again made a mess of it, this time it ran away for four. Pathen then added insult to injury as he hammers one with a pull over mid-wicket. Bumrah gave away just 8 runs off the last over. 18 runs off the last 2 overs.

After 18 overs, Kolkata 156/5 ( Chris Lynn 2 , Yusuf Pathan 9)

Russell has injected the much-needed momentum before departing. A couple of edges for streaky fours. One over the keeper and other over short third man. In between, he smashes one straight back down the ground for four off Bumrah. Southee, however, stops the juggernaut as he cleans up Russell. However, Pathan contines the momentum with a couple of fours off Southee. 30 runs and one wicket off the last 3 overs.

OUT! Sound of the timber. Russell departs. AD Russell b Southee 22 (16b 3×4 0x6) 

A timely wicket for Mumbai Indians. Russell was looking dangerous. It’s very full on the leg stump. Russell clears his front foot, and swing across the line. He misses and finds his stumps shattered.

Yusuf Pathan is the new batsman.

OUT! Southee sends back Suryakumar Yadav SA Yadav c & b Southee 21 (17b 2×4 0x6)

Short outside off, Suryakumar stays in his crease and looks to pull but it gets big on him and he gets a top edge high in the air. Southee settles under it pouches a good catch.

Chris Lynn is the new batsman.

After 15 overs, Kolkata 126/3 ( Suryakumar Yadav 20 , Andre Russell 4)

Gambhir was starting to look dangerous but then Rohit brought on his trump card and it worked. Gambhir hammered Krunal over mid-wicket for a six and then for a four through the same region to bring up his fifty. He then looked to pull one off McClenaghan but got a top edge to fine leg for four. McClenaghan finally got his man as he had him caught at mid off off a bouncer. Bumrah then bowled a brilliant over and gave away just 4 runs. 25 runs and one wicket off the last three overs.

OUT! McClenaghan provides the much-needed breakthrough. G Gambhir c Pollard b McClenaghan 59 (45b 6×4 1×6) 

He kept on bowling short and was rewarded. This times it’s outside off, Gambhir, without any feet movement, looks to pull but ends up miscuing it to mid off where Pollard takes a sharp catch turdging backwards.

Andre Russell is the new batsman.

After 12 overs,Kolkata 101/2 ( Gautam Gambhir (C) 42 , Suryakumar Yadav 16)

Two quick wickets peg KKR back, with Uthappa departing back to the dugout for a score of 36, with Shakib following him minutes later. The scoring rate has slowed down in the last three-four overs, but Suryakumar Yadav, who arrives at the crease following the dismissal of Shakib. Surya, who captains Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, has already got a couple of boundaries to move to double figures, with Gautam Gambhir closing in on his half-century right now.

After 6 overs,Kolkata 59/0 ( Robin Uthappa (W) 33 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 25)

27 runs scored by Kolkata in the next three overs, including two massive sixes by Uthappa. 59 runs are scored by KKR at the end of their powerplay, with Uthappa and Gambhir’s decisiveness with the bat looking ominous for Mumbai.

After 3 overs,Kolkata 32/0 ( Robin Uthappa (W) 13 , Gautam Gambhir (C) 19)

Gambhir gets off the mark off the first ball with a single down the ground. Hint of swing for Southee early in the innings. Let us see if he can utilise it to get the early breakthrough or not. Four runs off the first over, including a double off the last ball. 

FOUR! Pitched up by McClenaghan, and Gambhir hammers is through the covers! Uthappa and Gambhir deal in singles, and rotate the strike. DROPPED! McClenaghan drops a caught-and-bowled chance that could have seen the back of Gambhir, who mishits the short delivery, for 8. 

The third over turns out to be a nightmare for Mumbai, with Southee conceding 17 runs off it, including three boundaries. KKR are off to an ideal start!

MI XI: Rohit (c), Parthiv (wk), Rayudu, Buttler, Hardik, Pollard, Krunal, Harbhajan, Bumrah, Southee, McClenaghan.

KKR XI: Uthappa (wk), Gambhir (c), Surya, Lynn, Shakib, Yusuf, Russell, Sathish, Umesh, Narine, Unadkat.

For those asking if Uthappa is injured doesn't seem so going by how he has been bouncing around at training #MIvKKR

— Arun Venugopal (@scarletrun) April 28, 2016