Mitchell Starc let out a roar after knocking down Gerarld Coetzee’s middle stump. It was his third wicket of the over and the fourth of the night overall for the Australian quick but more importantly, it was the last of the Mumbai Indians’ team. Kolkata Knight Riders had finally managed to beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium after 12 long years. No team have a better head-to-head record in the IPL than MI over KKR. You could see what it meant to KKR. Mentor Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were embracing and shouting in each other’s ears.
It was just different emotions. KKR have been one of the teams to beat in this IPL and MI have been just the opposite. But KKR vs MI is one encounter that doesn’t follow form and reputation. It’s just one-way traffic in favour of the five-time champions. That’s why this victory tasted way sweeter for the men in purple.
Starc is in his first season with KKR. Even their captain Shreyas Iyer, who was showing more emotions on the field on Friday than he usually does, has been around the team for three years. They must have heard about MI’s domination of KKR but didn’t quite experience it.
For Gambhir, though, it’s different. He was the last KKR captain to beat MI at Wankhede in 2012. The only other KKR member who was part of the team in both of those wins, 12 years apart, is Sunil Narine.
The West Indies all-rounder was in fact Player of the Match for his 4/15 in the 2012 match at Wanhede against MI. He once again made a useful contribution with the ball, picking up 2/22 in his four overs. He is not known to be too emotive, so judging the magnitude of KKR’s victory on Friday by looking at Narine’s expressions might not be the best of ideas, but looking at Gambhir sure is.
After his emotional embrace with Nayar in the dugout, the KKR mentor was all smiles during the post-match handshakes. The former India opener did not take much longer to let his emotions flow on social media.
“Turning the tide after 12 yrs at Wankhede! Beautifully done boys!” he wrote on X.
If KKR batters were guilty of not working out their game plan on the go in the first half to be bowled out for just 169 with Venkatesh Iyer contributing 70, Mumbai Indians’ underperforming batters stood no chance on a tricky wicket which demanded both application and patience. They were all-out for 145 in 18.5 overs and are practically out of the competition which has been a nightmare for Hardik Pandya.
Despite Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant fifty, Mumbai Indians were shot out for 145 in 18.5 overs chasing 170, found wanting with the bat once again as Mitchell Starc (3.5-0-33-4) cleaned up the tail for KKR’s seventh win in 10 matches.