<p>Not many would have thought that the five-time winners Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) would be struggling to open their account in IPL 2022 edition. After three games, the Mumbai Paltan are winless and occupy the penultimate spot in the overall standings.</p>

<p>With two back-to-back defeats, MI faced Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match 14 of the 15th edition on Wednesday evening (April 06), in a bid to open their account in their third fixture. Nonetheless, third-time lucky didn't prove to be the case for the MI line-up, who lost to the Shreyas Iyer-led unit by five wickets at the MCA Stadium, Pune.</p>

<p>Being asked to bat first, Rohit &amp; Co. rode on Suryakumar Yadav's 36-ball 52, Tilak Verma's 38* and Kieron Pollard's 5-ball unbeaten 22 to post a competitive 161-4 in 20 overs. After a slow and sluggish start, they recovered in style but all efforts went in vain with Pat Cummins' stunning fireworks and Venkatesh Iyer's 50 not out in KKR's run-chase.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-how-kkrs-pat-cummins-trained-at-the-nets-ahead-of-his-joint-fastest-ipl-fifty-in-mi-tie-469139">Watch: How KKR's Pat Cummins trained at the nets ahead of his joint-fastest IPL fifty in MI tie</a></strong></p>

<p>While Iyer held one end with a calculative 50*, Cummins smashed the MI bowlers -- after joining the run-chase at 103 for 5 -- to close the match in the 16th over; slamming the joint-fastest IPL fifty (in 14 balls). He, thus, returned with a blazing 15-ball 56* to keep MI winless.</p>

<p>Thus, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has broken his silence on MI's indifferent start to the ongoing season.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“I think we knew that they have a strategy where they bowl their spinners at the backend as well. So we needed to make sure that we had guys to take them on. Suryakumar Yadav was one of them. But initially it was a tough wicket. There was steep bounce, and there was little bit in it. We felt that we got stuck a little bit, and we were behind, and needed a par course," Jayawardene said at the post-match press conference.</p>

<p>"That was the plan in the 13th over, and I thought with the couple of big overs at the end, we got that par score, and we were in the game for pretty much all the way. In the past few games we’ve not ruthless enough to close games off," he added.</p>

<p>Reflecting on MI's journey ahead after a tough start, Jayawardene further opined, "It’s always tough when you have a start like this, but we need to look at the positives. We’ve been playing some really good cricket, but we’re not closing games off. All three games we were in it, but we’re not able to finish it off. These are concerns, especially with the ball that we’re not executing at the back-end under pressure.. some of the execution has been poor. We need to brush up on that."</p>

<p>“It’s a long tournament, three games, yeah it is tough but we need to make sure that we get a win and get into those habits. Anything can happen with 10 teams. There are a lot of teams that’s gonna beat each other so we have to make sure we’re in it midway through the season," he concluded.</p>


Not many would have thought that the five-time winners Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) would be struggling to open their account in IPL 2022 edition. After three games, the Mumbai Paltan are winless and occupy the penultimate spot in the overall standings.

Not many would have thought that the five-time winners Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) would be struggling to open their account in IPL 2022 edition. After three games, the Mumbai Paltan are winless and occupy the penultimate spot in the overall standings. With two back-to-back defeats, MI faced Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match 14 of the 15th edition on Wednesday evening (April 06), in a bid to open their account in their third fixture. Nonetheless, third-time lucky didn't prove to be the case for the MI line-up, who lost to the Shreyas Iyer-led unit by five wickets at the MCA Stadium, Pune. Being asked to bat first, Rohit & Co. rode on Suryakumar Yadav's 36-ball 52, Tilak Verma's 38* and Kieron Pollard's 5-ball unbeaten 22 to post a competitive 161-4 in 20 overs. After a slow and sluggish start, they recovered in style but all efforts went in vain with Pat Cummins' stunning fireworks and Venkatesh Iyer's 50 not out in KKR's run-chase. ALSO READ | Watch: How KKR's Pat Cummins trained at the nets ahead of his joint-fastest IPL fifty in MI tie While Iyer held one end with a calculative 50*, Cummins smashed the MI bowlers -- after joining the run-chase at 103 for 5 -- to close the match in the 16th over; slamming the joint-fastest IPL fifty (in 14 balls). He, thus, returned with a blazing 15-ball 56* to keep MI winless. Thus, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has broken his silence on MI's indifferent start to the ongoing season. “I think we knew that they have a strategy where they bowl their spinners at the backend as well. So we needed to make sure that we had guys to take them on. Suryakumar Yadav was one of them. But initially it was a tough wicket. There was steep bounce, and there was little bit in it. We felt that we got stuck a little bit, and we were behind, and needed a par course," Jayawardene said at the post-match press conference. "That was the plan in the 13th over, and I thought with the couple of big overs at the end, we got that par score, and we were in the game for pretty much all the way. In the past few games we’ve not ruthless enough to close games off," he added. Reflecting on MI's journey ahead after a tough start, Jayawardene further opined, "It’s always tough when you have a start like this, but we need to look at the positives. We’ve been playing some really good cricket, but we’re not closing games off. All three games we were in it, but we’re not able to finish it off. These are concerns, especially with the ball that we’re not executing at the back-end under pressure.. some of the execution has been poor. We need to brush up on that." “It’s a long tournament, three games, yeah it is tough but we need to make sure that we get a win and get into those habits. Anything can happen with 10 teams. There are a lot of teams that’s gonna beat each other so we have to make sure we’re in it midway through the season," he concluded.

MI not ruthless enough: Mahela Jayawardene breaks silence on Rohit & Co.'s winless run in IPL 2022

<p>Pat Cummins produced one of the best innings in IPL history as he slammed the joint-fastest fifty (joining KL Rahul at the top) in the cash-rich league, off 14 balls, during Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) 162-run chase versus the five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Wednesday (April 06).</p>

<p>Coming out to bat at No. 7, with the score being 101 for 5, the Aussie all-rounder was on song from the word go. He took on the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Tymal Mills before going bonkers versus Daniel Sams to churn out 35 runs, in the 16th over,&nbsp;and finish off the proceedings at one go. While it seemed the run-chase would go down the wire when the Aussie Test captain came out to bat, the 28-year-old pulled off a stunning display to make heads turn worldwide.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/not-ms-dhoni-or-ravindra-jadeja-robin-uthappa-names-csk-star-who-played-a-role-in-his-transfer-from-rr-469122"><strong>Not MS Dhoni or Ravindra Jadeja! Robin Uthappa names CSK star who played a role in his transfer from RR</strong></a></p>

<p>Here's a look at how Cummins prepared for the onslaught versus MI with his batting session at the KKR nets a day before the face-off:</p>

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<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2022-daniel-joins-harshal-in-unwanted-list-after-being-hammered-by-pat-cummins-in-kkr-mi-match-468995">IPL 2022: Daniel joins Harshal in unwanted list after being hammered by Pat Cummins in KKR-MI match</a></strong></p>

<p>At the post-match presentation, Cummins reflected on his match-winning knock and said, "I probably think I'm most surprised by that innings. I'm glad that it came off. I was thinking of having a swing if it was in my area. Wasn't trying to overthink it. Very satisfying to do it on my first game this season. Was just trying to pepper the shorter boundary. The hard thing after a big auction is that there are a lot of changes from last year. It's a good mix of talent out there and quite relaxed with the boys."</p>


Pat Cummins produced one of the best innings in IPL history as he slammed the joint-fastest fifty (joining KL Rahul at the top) in the cash-rich league, off 14 balls, during Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) 162-run chase versus the five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Wednesday (April 06).

Pat Cummins produced one of the best innings in IPL history as he slammed the joint-fastest fifty (joining KL Rahul at the top) in the cash-rich league, off 14 balls, during Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) 162-run chase versus the five-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Wednesday (April 06). Coming out to bat at No. 7, with the score being 101 for 5, the Aussie all-rounder was on song from the word go. He took on the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Tymal Mills before going bonkers versus Daniel Sams to churn out 35 runs, in the 16th over, and finish off the proceedings at one go. While it seemed the run-chase would go down the wire when the Aussie Test captain came out to bat, the 28-year-old pulled off a stunning display to make heads turn worldwide. ALSO READ | Not MS Dhoni or Ravindra Jadeja! Robin Uthappa names CSK star who played a role in his transfer from RR Here's a look at how Cummins prepared for the onslaught versus MI with his batting session at the KKR nets a day before the face-off: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kolkata Knight Riders (@kkriders) × ALSO READ | IPL 2022: Daniel joins Harshal in unwanted list after being hammered by Pat Cummins in KKR-MI match At the post-match presentation, Cummins reflected on his match-winning knock and said, "I probably think I'm most surprised by that innings. I'm glad that it came off. I was thinking of having a swing if it was in my area. Wasn't trying to overthink it. Very satisfying to do it on my first game this season. Was just trying to pepper the shorter boundary. The hard thing after a big auction is that there are a lot of changes from last year. It's a good mix of talent out there and quite relaxed with the boys."

Watch: How KKR's Pat Cummins trained at the nets ahead of his joint-fastest IPL fifty in MI tie

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 49 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as the Rohit Sharma-led side put on a dominating performance to clinch their first win of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">KKR’s poor run of form against MI continued with the Kolkata outfit losing another encounter against Mumbai.&nbsp;<br />
Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were at the top of their game as they scored 80 off 54 and 47 off 28 respective to help Mumbai Indians post a mammoth 195/5 in 20 overs.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">Pat Cummins, who was sold for a whopping INR 15.5 crore that made him the costliest overseas buy ever, was hammered for 49 runs in his three overs as MI took advantage of the constant short deliveries by Cummins and other bowlers.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt"><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-ambati-rayudu-fighting-to-be-fit-for-csks-match-against-delhi-capitals-329684" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Ambati Rayudu fighting to be fit for CSK's match against Delhi Capitals</a></strong></p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">Whereas Kolkata Knight Riders had a cautious start and lost openers Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine for cheap. While Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana stitched a small partnership but the run-rate kept soaring. However, after their departure, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell failed to hit those maximums with MI bowlers bowling excellent line and length to the two power hitters.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">Mumbai Indians, with the thumping win, extended their head-to-head stats by 20 to 6 against KKR.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">The defeat will hurt KKR and the net run-rate but the win will come as a bonus for Mumbai Indians, who mixed their pace and bowled tremendously to kept KKR batting line-up silent. Cummins smashed some lusty blows in the final overs with the willow but it was too little too late for KKR as they lost the match by 49 runs.</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt"><strong>TRENDING:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/ipl-2020-action-in-pictures-as-grand-festival-of-cricket-starts-in-uae-328877" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Action in pictures as 'grand festival' of cricket starts in UAE</a></strong></p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">KKR now sit bottom of the IPL 2020 points table while MI’s win give them their first win of the campaign after losing the season opener to Chennai Super Kings.&nbsp;</p>

<p style="margin:0in 0in 8pt">KKR will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday in Abu Dhabi whereas Mumbai Indians next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday in Dubai.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 49 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as the Rohit Sharma-led side put on a dominating performance to clinch their first win of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 49 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as the Rohit Sharma-led side put on a dominating performance to clinch their first win of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. KKR’s poor run of form against MI continued with the Kolkata outfit losing another encounter against Mumbai. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were at the top of their game as they scored 80 off 54 and 47 off 28 respective to help Mumbai Indians post a mammoth 195/5 in 20 overs. Pat Cummins, who was sold for a whopping INR 15.5 crore that made him the costliest overseas buy ever, was hammered for 49 runs in his three overs as MI took advantage of the constant short deliveries by Cummins and other bowlers. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Ambati Rayudu fighting to be fit for CSK's match against Delhi Capitals Whereas Kolkata Knight Riders had a cautious start and lost openers Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine for cheap. While Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana stitched a small partnership but the run-rate kept soaring. However, after their departure, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell failed to hit those maximums with MI bowlers bowling excellent line and length to the two power hitters. Mumbai Indians, with the thumping win, extended their head-to-head stats by 20 to 6 against KKR. The defeat will hurt KKR and the net run-rate but the win will come as a bonus for Mumbai Indians, who mixed their pace and bowled tremendously to kept KKR batting line-up silent. Cummins smashed some lusty blows in the final overs with the willow but it was too little too late for KKR as they lost the match by 49 runs. TRENDING: IPL 2020: Action in pictures as 'grand festival' of cricket starts in UAE KKR now sit bottom of the IPL 2020 points table while MI’s win give them their first win of the campaign after losing the season opener to Chennai Super Kings. KKR will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday in Abu Dhabi whereas Mumbai Indians next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday in Dubai.

IPL 2020: Rohit, Bumrah star as Mumbai Indians convincingly defeat Kolkata Knight Riders