Mumbai Indians continued their dominance over Kolkata Knight Riders, as they won by 8 wickets. While chasing just a 116-run target, MI never felt like they were in danger, as Ryan Rickelton scored an impressive fifty and Surya Kumar Yadav finished the match by scoring 27 runs with a strike rate of 300. New Zealand legend Kane Williamson shared his expert analysis on the match.
Speaking on Jio Hotstar, Williamson called it a complete all-round performance from MI. He said their decision to bowl first was the right one, as the bowlers executed their plans perfectly. The WTC-winning captain also praised debutant Ashwani Kumar, stating that his crucial wickets changed the game completely.
Williamson said he was most impressed by MI’s ability to apply constant pressure. He added that Hardik Pandya’s team dominated every phase, which was key to their victory. MI is currently in 6th place with 1 win and 2 losses. Meanwhile, defending champions KKR have the worst net run rate and are at the bottom of the points table.
“It was a complete performance. Winning the toss, bowling first, and executing their plans beautifully. Bringing in an extra seamer, Ashwani, who was outstanding. They took wickets consistently…. But they applied pressure throughout and were dominant in every phase of the match.”
Kane Williamson on Jio Hotstar
A positive for MI this season has been their scouting. Players like Vignesh Puthur and Ashwani impressed fans in their debut games by taking multiple wickets. Another positive is that MI’s key player, SKY, has regained his form in the last two matches. If their players continue to perform well, they could dream of winning their sixth IPL trophy.
What’s going wrong with the reigning Kolkata Knight Riders this season?
Everyone expected the reigning champions, KKR, to perform well this season since they retained most of their core players. However, they have lost two of their first three matches and now sit at the bottom of the points table. There is one important reason KKR isn’t firing on all cylinders like last season.
Last season, a key factor in the Knight Riders’ success was their openers, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. Both players scored over 400 runs and consistently gave the team strong starts. However, this season, Salt left KKR to join RCB, and Narine hasn’t been in the same form.
Additionally, the middle order has struggled for form this season. KKR spent 23.75 crores to retain Venkatesh Iyer, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations. Big hitters like Andre Russell and Rinku Singh have also not been at their best. If KKR wants to replicate last season’s success, their batters need to step up.
