Mumbai Indians kicked off their first afternoon match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with a bang, securing a five-wicket victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. The win was Mumbai's second in four matches, and it was the perfect opportunity for them to showcase their prowess at Fortress Wankhede.
KKR's Venkatesh Iyer's brilliant 104 off 51 deliveries proved futile as Mumbai Indians restricted the visitors to 185/6 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's heroics with the bat, scoring 58 off 25 balls and 43 off 25 balls, respectively, helped Mumbai Indians reach the target with 14 balls to spare.
Mumbai Indians made a blistering start, raising 72/1 in the Power-play, and Ishan Kishan started the carnage, smashing Shardul Thakur for two fours and a six in the second over. Rohit Sharma, who replaced Riley Meredith as an Impact Player, also made his presence felt by heaving Umesh Yadav over extra cover for a six.
The run flow continued as Nitish Rana introduced Sunil Narine, but Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan hammered him for two sixes and a four. Suyash Sharma then dismissed Rohit Sharma with a leading edge, but Ishan Kishan completed his half-century off 21 balls with an edged four off Suyash Sharma.
Suryakumar Yadav announced his return to form with back-to-back sixes off Lockie Ferguson, and Varma pulled Varun Chakravarthy for a four as Mumbai Indians reached 130/2 in 12 overs. Suryakumar Yadav continued to grow strong, hitting Andre Russell for a six and a four off successive deliveries, while Tim David drove Varun over long-on for a six.
Suryakumar Yadav survived a DRS review off Sunil Narine in the 16th over and responded by whipping the West Indies spinner for a four between deep midwicket and long-on. However, he got out soon after the resumption of play, edging behind a ramp-shot off Shardul Thakur.
Nehal Wadhera struck Lockie Ferguson for four, but he was out the next ball, edging behind. Suyash Sharma, who substituted Venkatesh Iyer as an Impact Player, was the best KKR bowler in action, finishing with 2-27 off his four overs.
In the end, Mumbai Indians reached the target of 186 runs with ease, securing their second win of the tournament. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's performance with the bat proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 185/6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 104, Andre Russell 21 not out; Hrithik Shokeen 2-34, Piyush Chawla 1-19) lost to Mumbai Indians 186/5 in 17.4 overs (Ishan Kishan 58, Suryakumar Yadav 43, Tilak Varma 30; Sjuyash Sharma 2-27) by 5 wickets.