Mumbai: Mumbai Indians secured a dominant eight-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, riding on Ashwini Kumar's stellar bowling performance and Ryan Rickelton's composed knock.
Opting to bowl first, MI bowlers put up an imposing show as KKR were bundled out for a mere 116 in 16.2 overs. The standout performer with the ball was Ashwini Kumar, who dismantled KKR's middle order with an impressive 4/41, claiming the crucial wickets of Ajinkya Rahane (11), Rinku Singh (17), Manish Pandey (19), and Andre Russell (5). His spell proved decisive, as KKR struggled to build any momentum despite a few promising knocks.
Deepak Chahar (2/19) set the tone early, dismissing Quinton de Kock (1) and Venkatesh Iyer (3) cheaply, while Trent Boult (1/23) removed Sunil Narine for a duck. Hardik Pandya (1/10) and Mitchell Santner (1/17) provided further breakthroughs to ensure that KKR never recovered from their early setbacks. Despite a valiant 26 off 16 from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi and a late effort from Ramandeep Singh (22), KKR's innings crumbled under MI’s disciplined attack.
There were brief moments of resistance, including a crisp four from Manish Pandey off Ashwini Kumar and a powerful pull shot from Rinku Singh for six over long-off against Vignesh Puthur. However, KKR's collapse overshadowed these glimpses of brilliance.
Chasing 117, MI openers Rohit Sharma (13) and Ryan Rickelton (62* off 41) provided a steady start, with the South African wicketkeeper-batsman playing a match-winning knock. Rickelton reached his fifty in style, stepping away and hammering a half-tracker from Sunil Narine over midwicket for a six in the ninth over. He followed it up with another powerful six, lofting Narine over long-on with a clean swing of the bat.
Will Jacks (16) fell to Russell, caught sharply by Rahane at cover as he failed to keep his drive down. Earlier, Russell also dismissed Rohit, who miscued a short ball, offering an easy catch to Harshit Rana at mid-off.
Suryakumar Yadav (27* off 9) ensured a swift finish, toying with the KKR bowlers. In the 12th over, he dispatched Russell twice to the boundary — first pulling a slower one well in front of square and then ramping a short ball over short third.
KKR's bowlers failed to make an impact, with only Russell (2/35) managing breakthroughs. The rest of the attack, including Spencer Johnson (0/14), Harshit Rana (0/28), and Varun Chakaravarthy (0/12), struggled against MI’s confident batting display.
Ashwini Kumar's remarkable debut spell set up the win, despite a couple of dropped catches in the field. His fiery delivery that rattled Russell’s stumps was a defining moment, underlining MI’s dominance. Rickelton’s mature and fluent knock ensured that MI chased down the modest target with ease.
With this victory, MI registered their first win of the season, while KKR were left grappling with their second defeat.
Hardik Pandya’s men will look to carry this momentum forward in their upcoming fixtures.
