IPL 2017, KKR vs MI: 5 things that went wrong for Kolkata Knight Riders
In what was a battle between two of the top contenders for the title, Kolkata Knight Riders played host to Mumbai Indians at the iconic Eden Gardens. Following a brief rain delay, skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and expectedly decided to back his team’s strength in chasing.
Despite losing an early wicket, Mumbai kept the scoreboard ticking. Playing his first game of this IPL season, Saurabh Tiwary opened the innings and registered a 43-ball 52. Ambati Rayudu’s aggressive half-century provided the impetus for the visitors to reach a formidable total of 173.
The Knight Riders’ chase began horribly wrong as the opposition seamers made plenty of early inroads. Even though the lower middle-order provided a rousing fight back, Mumbai stuck to their plans to complete a 9-run victory.
Here are five aspects that went wrong for KKR in this match.
#5 – Robin Uthappa’s costly miss
When Rayudu walked into the middle, the top-order had set a solid platform for him to control the flow of the innings. Taking the attack to the fast bowlers, the right-hander seized the initiative and came up with a stunning 63 off 37 deliveries including six fours as well as three sixes.
However, he could have been dismissed for just 10 had Robin Uthappa held on to a fairly uncomplicated chance behind the stumps. Sunil Narine’s wily line extracted a thin inside-edge which ricocheted onto the pad and came towards the wicket-keeper. However, he was unable to grab the opportunity. A wicket at that stage might have handed the momentum to the Knight Riders.