Kolkata stay in IPL playoff race

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AP Mumbai, May 11: Kolkata Knight Riders stayed in the Indian Premier League playoffs hunt after beating the lowly Mumbai Indians by 52 runs on Monday.

Kolkata scored 165-9 thanks to aggressive knocks from Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana and Mumbai was bowled out for 113 in 17.3 overs.

The winners were seventh on the table, two wins out of the top four. Mumbai, the five-time champion, was already out of contention before its ninth loss in 11 games.

Kolkata made five changes, including the return of Iyer, who hit 43 runs off 24 balls in a stand of 60 off 34 with his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane, 25 runs.

After three fours and four sixes, Iyer and Rahane were removed by left-arm wrist spinner Kumar Kartikeya and Kolkata was pegged to 87-2 in 10.2 overs.

Nitish Rana revived Kolkata with 43 off 26 balls, including three fours and four sixes. His knock powered Kolkata past 150 as wickets fell at the other end.

Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled only one over until the 15th, came back into the attack and took 5-10. He picked up five wickets in the space of nine deliveries across the 15th and 19th overs.

Rana and the big-hitting Andre Russell (9) were dismissed in the 15th. Then Sheldon Jackson (5), Pat Cummins (0) and Sunil Narine (0) went in the 19th in the space of four deliveries.

But Bumrah's brilliant bowling went in vain.

His Mumbai side lost out-of-form Rohit Sharma (2) cheaply again. He was caught behind off Tim Southee, even as the review showed a dubious spike before the ball passed his bat's edge.

Ishan Kishan held Mumbai's challenge together with 51 off 43 balls, his third half-century of the season comprising of five fours and a six.

But wickets kept falling at regular intervals, and Cummins on return took 3-22. Three run-outs spiralled Mumbai into a chaotic end.

Kieron Pollard was run out for 15, Kartikeya for 3, and last-man-out Bumrah for a duck.

Mumbai lost its last six wickets for 13 runs in the space of 3.3 overs.

 
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