KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS BEAT MUMBAI INDIANS BY 41 RUNS

Full scorecard

KKR 163/5 (Kallis 72, Pandey 64, Malinga 4/23) beat Mumbai Indians 122/7 (Rayudu 48, Narine 4/20) by 41 runs

SUMMARY: After a slow start KKR posted a challenging total and it meant Mumbai were never really in it with the bat. Whereas Kallis and Pandey injected some pace later on for Kolkata, no-one was able to do that for Mumbai and that was the story of the game. Malinga was excellent with the ball for Mumbai, but his 4/23 was eclipsed by Narine's 4/20 who really put Mumbai to the sword. Overall, you have to say KKR look the real deal and last year's champions Mumbai have some work to do.

AS IT HAPPENED

Over 20: Mumbai need 47 off 6. Chawla back on. Mumbai have lost this heavily. Pollard and Gautam doing their best for a lost cause, but it's still only 1s and 2s. And off the final ball...

WICKET Gautam stumped Uthappa bowled Chawla

It's all over!!! KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS WIN BY 41 RUNS

Over 19: Mumbai need 51 off 13. Narine returns, and his first ball gets another

WICKET Anderson bowled Narine 2 (8)

Narine is bowling excellently and Mumbai are crumbling. Harbhajan walks out, mishits the first then from the second...

WICKET Harbhajan bowled Narine 0 (2)

Harbhajan doesn't last long. He knew he had to get on with in but Narine was too good for him. The champions are getting beaten here. KKR are all over them. Gautam comes in and smashes 4 off the fifth ball, but that's all there is off the over. 

Over 18: Mumbai need 55 off 18. Chawla back on. Anderson is trying to smash it, but he has missed three in a row now. He connects with the fourth, but it will only be a single. Pollard gets bat on ball, but only two. A wide is followed by a dot. Uthappa knocks off the bail and the umpire checks for bowled, but nothing comes of it. 4 off the over. 

Over 17: Mumbai need 58 off 24. Narine back on, and from the first ball...

WICKET Rayudu stumped Uthappa bowled Narine 48 (40)

Rayudu stumped at the second attempt by Uthappa, and in comes Anderson to try and rescue Mumbai. Anderson gets as edge of his second ball but Uthappa can't hold on. Just 3 off the over. That could be it for Mumbai.

Over 16: Mumbai need 69 off 30. Morkel again and SIX off the first ball to Rohit, great thump over midwicket. But from the second delivery...

WICKET Rohit caught Kallis bowled Morkel 27 (20)

Six and out for Rohit, who was trying to force it for Mumbai. And the timeout is taken. It was a great catch from Kallis in the deep. He initially misjudged it, but then recovered. He's batted well, bowled well and nopw taken a decent catch. Pollard comes in. Rayudu works Morkel away for FOUR from the third ball of the over. Is Pollard the man to turn this around? He can't do anything with Morkel's first ball, which actually smashes into his watch! Final delivery also a dot, 11 from the over.

Over 15: Mumbai need 78 off 36. 13 an over needed now. Narine comes back. Neither Rayudu or Rohit can get him away. And Rayudu should be stumped off the last ball, but Uthappa makes a hash of it behind the wickets. FOUR byes, 9 off the over.

Over 14: Mumbai need 81 off 42. Morne Morkel is on. He bowled 2 overs for 2 runs earlier. The South African proving so difficult to score off. Dots and singles up to ball four. Ball 5 could have been a wide, but not given. Just 3 off the over. Mumbai are in trouble.

Over 13: Mumbai need 93 off 48. Shakib back on, and his first ball driven for FOUR by Rayudu. They are trying to get on with it now. Nice bit of fielding on the rope stops another four. 1s and 2s from the rest of the over means 12 off it. Mumbai are trying to step it up.

Over 12: Mumbai need 99 off 54. Chawla on to bowl and starts with a dot. Both batsmen struggling to do anything but work it around. 6 off the over. Not enough.

Over 11: Mumbai need 110 off 60. Kallis keep the ball in his hand. Improvised excellence from Rayudu from the third ball for FOUR down to fine leg after three off the first 2 deliveries. Two more 2s make it a decent over for Mumbai, 11 from it. They need a few more like that. 

Over 10: Mumbai need 115 off 65. Shakib bowls his third over.Two off the first ball to Rohit, who works another two away off the second to bring up the 50. Just 7 off the over. Mumbai need to put their collective foot down.

9.02pm: We are into the strategic timeout. Mumbai need more that 10.5 an over here. They need something spectacular. KKR in the box seat at this point. 

Over 9: Mumbai need 123 off 72. Kallis continues, steady as ever. Single for Rayudu before Rohit gets off the mark with a single, but Mumbai need more. An almost subdued atmosphere as the Kallis over goes at a run a ball. Advantage KKR here.

Over 8: Mumbai need 126 off 78. Shakib stays on. Mumbai really in need of a spark but so were KKR at this stage. But from the fifth ball of the over it's a..

WICKET Tare, caught and bowled Shakib 24 (22)

Tare skies one to Shakib. The pressure told there. The wicket brings the skipper Rohit into bat. Rayudu takes one of the last ball of the over.

Over 7: Mumbai need 130 off 82. Kallis is having a bowl now. Solid over goes for 6. What a professional Kallis is.

Over 6: Mumbai need 139 off 90. Shakib into the attack for KKR and Mumbai need some momentum from somewhere. We saw Kallis take a while to get started and the same is happening here. Two singles off the first 4 balls and now Rayudu is having some treatment. And as soon as we are back, Rayuda slaps Shakib for FOUR. A single off the last ball makes it 9 off the over.

Over 5: Mumbai need 147 from 96. Narine comes on, and his second ball goes for SIX. Tare wallops one over midwicket, just what the doctor ordered. But Narine comes back and...

WICKET Hussey, bowled Narine 3 (13)

The Australian is bowled by a ball that skids through and that's a major blow for Mumbai. In comes Rayudu so still not Rohit for Mumbai. A dot ball followed by a dangerous single which gets Rayudu off the mark.

Over 4: Mumbai need 148 from 104. Morkel back on. Just one of his first over. His height is getting him some good bounce, making him tough to get away. A tight over goes for just 1, meaning Morkel has bowled 2 over for 2 runs now. Wonderful stuff.

Over 3: Kumar bowls a second over. Starts with 3 dots to Tare. It feels like the batsmen are having to get used to the condition here. Not a pitch to start smashing it from minute one on. I say that, then Tare smashes one over midwicket for FOUR. 2 off the fifth ball and one of the last makes 8 off the over.

Over 2: Morkel to open up from the other end. Solid single, dot, dot, dot start. Then another dot, beats the outside edge of Tare's bat. A final dot and just one from the over, great stuff from the South African.

Over 1: Two and a single from Hussey off the first four balls of Kumar's over, before Tare gets on strike and hits a FOUR to square leg. Seven off the over. 

8.18pm: And Rohit is not among the Mumbai openers. Tare and Hussey will open up for the champions.

8.16pm: The umpires are on their way back out for the second innings, with the KKR fielders nor far behind.

8.14pm: KR Nayar is back with another snippet from Shaikh Zayed Stadium...

 

 

"Sunil Gavaskar, Interim President, BCCI-IPL, chaired the pre-IPL season Captains and Coaches meeting, on  meeting.  He stressed to the captains, the importance of their teams playing the game according to the MCC Spirit of Cricket - Play hard, Play fair. He also addressed their position as role models for followers of the game and other players, as they built their respective careers. He reinforced the core message that integrity was non-negotiable. During the day, he also met with former and recently retired cricketers – VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble – and sought their views on various issues."

 

KKR Innings summary: After a slow start, Kallis (72) and Pandey (64) led a fine recovery to set Mumbai 164 to win in Abu Dhabi. Malinga was the star for the champions, taking 4/23, ably supported by Zaheer's 1/23. But how crucial will Yadav's contribution be at the death? Three fours from the final Anderson over put a nice gloss on the total and sets us up for a thrilling second innings at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium.  

Over 20: Anderson to bowl the last over, but it's the Malinga show here. The Sri Lankan has 4/23 tonight. Third ball hit for FOUR by Yadav, and a sublime reverse sweep sees consecutuve FOURS. Great stuff from Yadav. A dot ball is follow by another FOUR. Crucial contribution at the death from Yadav, as the innings concludes.

Over 19: Malinga again, Mumbai's go-to man at the death. And from the second ball...

WICKET Kallis, caught Anderson bowled Malinga 72 (45)

Great catch running in by Anderson after a sublime innings from Kallis. In comes Shakib, the Bangladesh captain. The breaks have really been put on KKR here and it's that man Malinga. And from the final ball..

WICKET Shakib, caught Rohit bowled Malinga 1 (2)

Malinga is running through them here, great bowling. In comes Yadav.

Over 18: Zaheer returns. Momentum key for KKR here. Mumbai will be looking for more quick wickets. Kallis takes a single before Uthappa gets off the mark with another dart. Kallis slams the third ball for SIX over midwicket. Third umpire needed after the ball landed on the rope. Uthappa chips the final ball in the air...

WICKET Uthappa, caught Rohit bowled Zaheer 1 (2)

And here comes Pathan...

Over 17: Malinga returns. Slower ball does Pandey first up, dot ball. But the second delivery is slapped for SIX over mid wicket. Ball four is a leg side full toss which is clipped for FOUR by Pandey. Umpire says leg byes, but another good over here. But from the final ball...

WICKET! Pandey, bowled Malinga 64 (52)

It's Malinga again with a pitched-up delivery that cleans Pandey up. 10 off the over, and here comes Uthappa.

7.41pm: Time-out taken. KKR will be much happier after the last 2 overs. Kallis and Pandey have really come to life. They have 121 off 88 balls.

Over 16: Pollard continues. Pandey cracks a FOUR from the first delivery. Kallis paddles sweeps the third ball for FOUR. These guys are firing now. A great lesson in not panicking from Kallis and Pandey. And the final ball goes for FOUR from Kallis. 15 from the over.

Over 15: Ojha is on for his final over. A classy Kallis back foot drive for FOUR from the third delivery. And Kallis skips down the track and launches a straight SIX into the crowd off the fourth delivery. Our first consecutive boundary and the 100 is up. Kallis is getting going here. The final ball goes for another SIX. That's 50 for Kallis. Here we go! 20 from the over.

Over 14: Pollard comes on to bowl the 14th. Pandey brings up his 50 off 42 balls from the second ball of the over. Kallis is DROPPED by Malinga off ball 3. An easy chance at short fine leg. Kallis gets lucky off the final ball, which he skies into space at cover. Four off the over.

Over 13: Malinga back into the attack, the man who got Gambhir for a duck in the second over. Kallis pulls his second ball for FOUR. Only his second boundary of the innings. A dot and four singles make 8 from the over.

Over 12: Back comes Harbhajan. Pandey desperate to get him away but struggles. Until the final ball when he hits a well-timed straight drive over the top for FOUR. 9 from the over.

Over 11: Ojha switches ends for Mumbai. The lack of wickets might concern the champions, but the bowlers are keeping it very tight at the moment. Until the fourth ball when Pandey comes down the track and hits a lovely FOUR over extra cover. But still just 6 from the over.

Over 10: Anderson back on. The sedate pace continues until Pandey laces the third ball for FOUR over cow corner. I guess you could call that a pull. Singles from every other ball make 9 from the over.

7.11pm: We are into a strategic time out. It has been a sedate start, but some sign of life from Kallis will excite the crowd. But Kolkata will have expected more than a run a ball from 9 overs. after choosing to bat first.

Over 9: Harbhajan stays on. Run rate just over 5.5 at the moment. These two have put on 44 off 43. Two 2s before Kallis slaps one square for FOUR! 10 off the over. Kallis is warming up.

Over 8: Ojha stays on. 2 off the first ball to Kallis, single from the second. 1 from the third for Pandey but still no fireworks. 7 from the over in 1s and 2s.

Over 7: Harbhajan begins his IPL 7 with a dot ball to Pandey. Beats Pandey's bat with his fifth delivery, before Pandey gets the sixth away for FOUR over cow corner. Six off the over.

Over 6: Ojha into the attack, our first bit of spin. Kallis and Pandey scoring in 1s. Just 3 from the over and only 2 boundaries from the first 6 overs. Who would have thought?!

Over 5: Zaheer is back for his third over. Single for Pandey then 2 for Kallis. Dot ball, then a wide down Pandey's leg side. Kallis is goign about his business, nothing rash but building into it. Single, single then another wide from Zaheer. An 8 ball over, 8 coming from it.

Over 4: Corey Anderson, the Kiwi, is in to the attack and starts with 2 dots to Pandey. Big appeal from the third deemed too high by the umpire. Looked a decent shout. And the 4th ball goes for FOUR! The first boundary of IPL 7 from Pandey. And the very next ball is a straight SIX! Now things are getting going, courtesy of Manish Pandey. A dot fromthe sixth and 10 from the over.

Over 3: Zaheer again dot, dot, single for Pandey. Then Kallis is squared up and takes one down to third man. 2 for Pandey square of the wicket off side and then another leg side. Meanwhile, more from KR Nayar:

 

"Fireworks lit up the sky before the first ball was bowled. Every fan cheered for World Twenty20 winning captain Lasith Malinga but it was Zaheer Khan who opened the bowling to Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis. The umpires strapped with cameras on their hats gives a closer view of the action and interestingly when Khan appealed for a leg before to Gambhir and when the umpire shook his head saying not out the whole camera swung from left to right in unison."

Over 2:  Malinga bowls the second over and goes immediately for 2 from the first and 1 from the second to Kallis. Third is a juicy full toss which Gambhir misses out on. And then..

WICKET Gambhir, bowled Malinga (0)

A lovely yorker from Malinga. A poor start from Gambhir and Kolkata. Pandey comes in and fails to score off the last 2 balls of the over.

Over 1: Left hander to left hander, Gambhir blocks the first, dot ball. Zaheer's second beats the outside edge. 2 dot balls. And a third dot ball. That's a slow start! Another dot ball from Zaheer with the fourth of the over. Gambhir desperate to score. The fifth is a dot ball too. Are we going to get a maiden first up? NO, because the sixth ball is a wide down the leg side. But that's the only run of the over, with the seventh also a dot from Zaheer with a big appeal for LBW, given not out. A great start from the India bowler.

6.28pm: Kallis and Gambhir are out in the middle. Zaheer Khan will bowl to Gambhir first up.

6.25pm: And KKR:   Gambhir, Kallis, Pandey, Uthappa, Al Hasan, Pathan, Yadav, Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Narine, Morkel

6.23pm: Mumbai team: Sharma, Hussey, Tare, Rayudu, Gautam, Pollard, Anderson, Harbhajan, Malinga, Khan, Ojha

6.22pm: Rohit spins the coin and loses the toss. Kolkata will bat, Gambhir says.

6.20pm: The toss is coming up. Rohit and Gambhir are out on the square at Zayed Stadium.

6.16pm: Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, skipper of the Mumbai Indians, is pretty chilled out...

 

 

6.14pm: KR Nayar's getting excited in Abu Dhabi as the stadium fills up...

It’s a great sight to see  the stadium filling up at a fast pace from the press box. The grass mount has started to get covered with fans. Most fans have come in after office hours and hence some are in office attires. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans that were limited in number seem to be pouring in hordes and threaten to outscore the Mumbai Indians. The DJ assigned to whip up the excitement is in full flow egging everyone to cheer their team. As she shouts KKR all the KKR fans have stood up in unison and waved their flags. Though many thought the teams flags may not be available it now being distributed in plenty at the entrance. There is not a single fan that is without a flag of his team. Some are even sitting with flags of both teams. The DJ is now screaming into his mike… Mumbai, Mumbai and every Mumbai Indian on their feet waving their flags. Both the teams are currently warming up with Mumbai Indians playing football and Kolkata players opting for catching practices.  Both the dug outs are wrapped in Pepsi advertisement.

6.10pm: If you really can't wait for the action to start, here are some highlights from last year's final...

6.07pm: Another tweet from last night. Here is the IPL's West Indies contingent (or some of them)

 

 

6pm: Just half an hour from the start of the first match, and Shaikh Zayed Stadium is looking lovely...

 

5.54pm: Here are a couple of guys who may feature for KKR this evening, Surya Kumar Yadav and Kuldeep Yadav. This was on the way to the opening ceremony last night...

5.50pm: Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore is the man of the moment in India cricket at the moment. KP probably knows that, which is why he tweeted this:

 

 

5.43pm: You may have missed the news today that the India Supreme Court rejected an appeal by N Srinivasan to be reinstated as BCCI chief. Catch up on that here.

5.39pm: KR Nayar has bumped into Ramesh Menon at the ground. Don't know who that is? Read on...

 

Ramesh Menon is a cricket fan who believes in reaching everywhere early. Wearing a T shirt with the words “Start Early, Drive Carefully, Reach Safely on his T shirt he stood at the entrance of the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

“I arrived here at 3pm though the start of the match is only at 6.30pm because I believe in reaching anywhere early,” remarked Menon, who revealed that he has his own blog promoting the importance of driving carefully.

“I regularly contribute to the community reports in the Gulf News and I have my own blog. I carry a message for everyone to drive safely and come early,” he said.
Not only has Menon come early before the gates were open but he was also among the first to buy tickets. “As soon as ticket sales were open I got my ticket on the first day in the first hour,” said Menon, who works for an oil company called Total.

“It is a special feeling to watch IPL here and I don’t want to miss any moment from the start. I have been living in Abu Dhabi for years. I play cricket once in a while but wanted to see this tournament for years,” said Menon, who is a Mumbai Indians supporter.

“Though I am settled in Bengaluru, I am a Mumbai Indian supporter,” said Menon, rushing towards the gate to be among the first to enter the stadium.   

5.28pm: KP had his own go at an Oscars-style Ellen selfie last night. It didn't quite get the retweets and, frankly, was a bit grainy. Maybe he needs a new phone as well as a new finger?

 

 

5.17pm: Here's my favourite picture from last night, Shane Watson on the stage with his guitar alongside SRK...

  

5.12pm: Gulf News Chief Cricket Writer K.R. Nayar is at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. He will be providing updates throughout the night, the first of which has arrived already:

"The drive to Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium from Dubai was exciting as many cars from Dubai with cricket fans whizzed past me waving flags of Mumbai Indians. Though it is not easy to get IPL team dress and flags in UAE unlike in India where team jerseys of all squads are available for sale some fans here have still managed to wear it and arrive at the venue early. Kolkata Knight Riders supporters seem to be coming in only late.  A long tail of car are flowing into the stadium through the star is still  two hours away. Almost all the deserted areas around the stadium and getting filled with cars."

 

 

5.09pm: Last night's opening ceremony went off with a bang, with SRK on stage and MS Dhoni looking cool as ever. Is he the world's most unflappable man? Here he is, not flapping, from Twitter:

  

 

5.07pm: Here's KP with his poorly finger in training this week...

 

5.03pm: The biggest news to have broken so far today is that Kevin Pietersen will miss Delhi Daredevils' opener against RCB tomorrow with the finger injury he picked up this week. Read about it here.

5.02pm: Strap yourselves in for the rollercoaster ride that is the IPL. Expect cheerleaders, LOTS of Shah Rukh Khan, and maybe a bit of actual cricket along the way

5pm: Welcome to the Gulf News liveblog for the opening fixture of IPL 7, Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Kolkata Knight Riders team members during a training session at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
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