IPL 2019, KKR vs MI: Russell, Gill, Lynn power Kolkata Knight Riders to 232/2 against Mumbai Indians

Having suffered six consecutive losses, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a statement of sorts with the bat.

Having suffered six consecutive losses, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) made a statement of sorts with the bat as they hammered 232/2 after put in to bat by Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 47^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn, who opened the innings, set the stage on fire from the first ball. The Indo-Australian took apart MI bowlers and scored 96 runs in under 10 overs before Lynn got out for 54 off Rahul Chahar’s bowling. The right-hander hit 8 fours and 2 sixes in his 29-ball stay in the middle.

Andre Russell, who had been vocal in his criticism towards the decision-making and demanded a promotion in the batting order, then joined Gill in the middle as the two continued to score at brisk pace and added 62 runs for the second wicket in 35 balls.

While Lynn was severe on the MI bowlers, Gill too tormented the visitors and went on to score his second fifty of the season, before being dismissed by Hardik Pandya in the 16^th over. The youngster, who hit 6 fours and 4 sixes, scored 76 in just 45 balls.

Russell and skipper Dinesh Karthik, who joined hands after Gill’s fall, made sure that the openers’ solid show did not go in vain. While the West Indian brought up his eighth IPL half-century, Karthik made the most of all the opportunities he had, scoring 15 off 7 balls.

Earlier, KKR made three changes to their playing XI as Carlos Brathwaite, Prasidh Krishna and Yarra Prithviraj were replaced by Robin Uthappa, Harry Gurney and Sandeep Warrier. MI, meanwhile, picked Barinder Sran in the team in place of Anukul Roy, who played against Chennai Super Kings in the Rohit Sharma-led side’s previous game.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 232/2 (Andre Russell 80*, Shubman Gill 76; Hardik Pandya 1/31) vs Mumbai Indians