Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata for their first IPL win

Mumbai Indians registered their first victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they beat home favorites Kolkata Knight Riders comfortably by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Chasing a moderate 138 for victory, the Indians achieved it with nine balls to spare. It was a splendid team effort, with contributions from both the young and the experienced in various departments of the game. Sachin Tendulkar had to sit out here also though it looked he might play after all.

Backed by a blatantly partisan and vociferous 80,000-strong crowd, the Riders soon struck by claiming three quick wickets for 25. Given the Mumbai team’s recent batting performances, even a target of 138 began to look distant at that stage. Dwayne Bravo and Robin Uthappa, however, had different ideas. They played in a clinical fashion to coolly guide their team to a long-awaited victory. There were no wild shots, no desperation to reach the target in their 113-run partnership. While Uthappa was content playing more of a supporting role, Bravo did the bulk of scoring with some typical Caribbean style strokes. They kept the asking rate within reach, and ensured that there were no more hiccups. Uthappa was not out with 37, while Bravo scored an unbeaten 64 off 53 balls. The Kolkata bowlers did bowl well, but the target they sought to defend was too small.

Earlier, when the home team went in to bat first after winning the toss, Mumbai captain Shaun Pollock stunned the crowd into silence by dismissing both Sourav Ganguly, the local hero and Brendon McCullum in the very first over. After that, it was a sight no one perhaps anticipated. While the veteran Ricky Ponting was all at sea against the Mumbai bowling, an unheard-of local boy Debabrata Das bludgeoned them to all parts of the ground. However, in trying one shot too many, Das also fell after scoring 29. Ponting’s agony ended when he was run out for a painstaking 19, and David Hussey became Sanath Jayasuriya’s first of the three victims. Jayasuriya, who also took two brilliant catches, bowled superbly to finish with figures of 3 for 14 – the best so far in the competition. Another local boy, Laxmiratan Shukla tried hard to resurrect the innings and remained not out on 40. Pollock finished with 2 for 27. The victory will no doubt boost the morale of Mumbai, even more so because Tendulkar too is likely to play soon.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 138 for 3 (Bravo 62*, Uthappa 37*); Kolkata Knight Riders 137 for 8 (Shukla 40*; Das 29; Jayasuriya 3/14, Pollock 2/27). Mumbai Indians won by seven wickets.