Pandya fires again to secure Mumbai victory

Mumbai Indians pulled off a thrilling four wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders for their first win in IPL 10 in Mumbai on Sunday.

Needing 60 runs off the last 24 balls, Nitish Rana came up with fighting 50 off 29 balls before Hardik Pandya finished the job in dramatic fashion, smashing 29 off 11 balls.
SCORECARD

Mumbai made a promising start through openers Parthiv Patel (30) and Jos Buttler (28), who shared a 65 run stand to set the tone for the chase.

It was the first win of the season for Mumbai while Kolkata suffered a painful loss after their 10-wicket win over Gujarat Lions.

MATCH PHOTOS

Earlier in the day, Manish Pandey scored an unbeaten 81, as Kolkata Knight Riders overcame mid-innings hiccups to post 178/7 against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Karnataka cricketer hit five fours and an equal number of sixes during a 47-ball knock to singlehandedly carry his team to a respectable total.

 

The Indian batsman beat New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan to pulp in the final over, producing 23 runs to finish their innings with a flourish.

For Mumbai, Krunal Pandya (3/24) was the most successful bowler.

Put in to bat after losing the toss, the Knights began on a song, as the opening stand of skipper Gautam Gambhir and Australian Chris Lynn took the visitors to 44 at the end of the fourth over.

However, left arm spinner Krunal Pandya brought Mumbai roaring back into the match by removing Gambhir and Robin Uthappa in his very first over.

Gambhir (19) mistimed a lofted shot to a good length ball. Three balls later, it was a sibling conspiracy that saw the end of Uthappa. The wicketkeeper-batsman went for a slog sweep and finished into the hands of Krunal's brother Hardik Pandya.

The double strike reduced the Knights to 48/4, and they managed to reach 59 without any more hiccups at the end of the first powerplay of six overs.

The tourists suffered another reverse soon after, as the confident looking Lynn (32) got out plumb leg before to Jasprit Bumrah, with KKR standing at 67/3 in 7.3 overs.

Pandey got a life at the start of the 12th over, with Patel failing to make the most of the chance. He was then 14, his side 82/3, and Pandya was the unlucky bowler. However, Krunal Pandya's disappointment lasted only four balls, as he teamed up once again with brother Hardik - stationed at long leg - to get rid of Yusuf Pathan (6).

But Pandey made full use of his reprieve with a quickfire 44-run fifth wicket stand in the company of Surya Kumar Yadav.

KKR reached 100 in 13.2 overs, with Pandey taking a single of Mitchell McClenaghan.

Bumrah got the stick in the 16th over, with the Nainital-born right hander picking up a six and a four of consecutive balls.

Yadav (17) fell soon after, but Pandey completed a well-deserved half century off 37 balls with a single.