Debutant Ashwani Kumar's outstanding spell helped Mumbai Indians thrash defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday as KKR were dismissed for a dismal total of just 116 runs, and Mumbai Indians comfortably chased down the target, securing an eight-wicket victory
After winning the toss and opting to bowl, MI’s bowlers put KKR under relentless pressure as Deepak Chahar struck early, dismissing Quinton de Kock (1) and Venkatesh Iyer (3), while Trent Boult removed Sunil Narine for a duck.
Kumar’s four-wicket haul dismantled KKR’s middle order, claiming key scalps including Ajinkya Rahane (11), Rinku Singh (17), Manish Pandey (19), and Andre Russell (5).
Despite a fighting knock from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26 off 16), KKR's batting order collapsed, with Ramandeep Singh’s late effort (22) proving insufficient.
Ashwani Kumar had a dream IPL debut, claiming 4 wickets for 24 runs, while Deepak Chahar impressed with an outstanding opening spell, taking 2 wickets for 19 runs.
Chasing a modest target of 117, MI made light work of the chase, thanks to a solid 46-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton.
While Rohit struggled before being dismissed by Russell, Rickelton continued to hammer the KKR bowlers, reaching 62 off 41 balls, including five sixes and four boundaries.
Suryakumar Yadav’s explosive cameo (27 off 9) saw MI race to victory in just 13 overs.
Ashwani Kumar's match-winning performance with the ball earned him the Player of the Match award, as Mumbai Indians cruised to a comfortable win.
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