KKR vs MI | Player of the match: Pat Cummins

As if to avenge being hit for 23 runs by Kieron Pollard in his last five deliveries that he sent down for Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai Innings, Australia’s Pat Cummins paid back with interest in the run chase.

The 28-year-old Australian, playing his first match of the tournament on Wednesday, bowled his first three overs not-so-tidily for 26 runs and picked up the wicket of Ishan Kishan. Off the first ball of his fourth over, the 20^th of MI innings, he took the edge of MI top-scorer Suryakumar Yadav. Pollard smashed three sixes in his 5-ball 22 to damage Cummins’ bowling figures that read 4-0-49-2.

With KKR needing 162 to win and the match hanging in balance at 101 for five in 13.1 overs, only opener Venkatesh Iyer stood like a rock with a patient knock. The big-hitters including Andre Russell were back in the pavilion. Mumbai Indians may have been licking their lips in anticipation of their first win. Little did they expect an assault from Cummins.

After a first ball single, Cummins showed his intentions very clear when he swung Tymal Mills huge into the crowd at square leg and followed it with a four to backward point. Just when it turned out to be a tricky situation to bat for the others, it seemed that Cummins was batting on an altogether different surface. He took on MI’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah for a six over long-on and a slice to third man for four.