Jos Buttler’s 41 off 21 balls propelled the Mumbai Indians to their first IPL win, beating the Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets.
He turned the match decisively as the Indians chased 188, winning with five balls to spare.
Buttler came in just after Mitchell McClenaghan had hammered three successive sixes in an eight-ball 20, and proceeded to smash his 41 with three fours and three sixes. He scored 26 off five balls alone: 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, off Brad Hogg and Andre Russell.
Meanwhile, anchoring the innings was Rohit Sharma, who ended unbeaten on 84 off 54 (10×4, 2×6).
The Knight Riders, who had been sent in to bat, should have posted more than their 187-5, but for tight bowling which conceded just 20 in the last three overs.
And they did not do themselves any favours in the 10th over, when 15 runs were scored with five wides off the fourth ball from Kuldeep Yadav, followed by four overthrows.
Earlier, Mumbai, who left out Marchant de Lange, may have wondered about sending the Knight Riders in to bat when they surged to 121-1 in the 14th over.
They had been slightly muted in the power play, scoring at 6.66, which may have been an omen. In the next six, Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey scored at 11.3 an over.
Andre Russell ignited the afterburners with 36 off 17 balls, with four sixes and a four until he played on two balls into the 18th over. Mumbai did well to rein in the late charge, and they were left with a required run rate of 9.35 an over. It was easy.
Photo: BCCI
