IPL 2024: Venkatesh, Manish propel KKR to 169 after MI pacers run riot at Wankhede

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 3 (ANI): Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey's 83-run stand propelled Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 169 as Mumbai Indians (MI) pace duo Jasprit Bumrah and Nuwan Thushara ran rampant at the Wankhede Stadium in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Friday.
While standing on the verge of missing out on playoffs, MI walked into the Wankhede stadium with a different mindset.
Thushara's first over showed the first glimpse of the different body language that MI players had on the field.
After putting KKR to bat, Thushara got the breakthrough by removing Philip Salt (5) in the first over with Tilak Varma taking a stunning catch.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi sent the ball into the stands for a towering six to repair the damage of the early blow.
In the third over, Raghuvanshi punished Thushara for wavering off his line and length with a six to silence the vibrant blue waves.
Yet it was Thushara who had the last laugh, he claimed Raghuvanshi's (13) wicket on the next ball with a slower one.
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (6) showed intent by finding the fence on his first ball of the innings. Two balls later Thushara with a bit of in-swing got the better of Iyer as the ball flew to the right of Tim David.
Sunil Narine tried to stick to his usual hard-hitting approach and cleared the ropes on MI skipper Hardik Pandya's first ball of the innings. Pandya struck back by dislodging the stumps on the next delivery to increase KKR's woes.
KKR managed to put 57 runs on the board at the end of the powerplay but at the cost of four wickets.
The opportunity was staring right at Rinku Singh's face as he had ample time to rebuild KKR's innings. But Piyush Chawla's spin made the left-handed batter walk back to the dressing room with a score of 9(8).
Manish Pandey was called in as an impact substitute to give themselves a chance to put a competitive total on the board.
With Venkatesh Iyer on one side, the duo stitched up a 50-run stand in the 13th over. Pandey opened his arms in the next over by making Jasprit Bumrah his target.
He flicked the ball towards the fence for a four on the first delivery and a ball later he managed to clear the boundary line. With a single Venkatesh raised his bat for fifty in the 16th over.
With the game in its climax, Pandey (42) tried to go berserk and push for extra runs. He smacked Pandya for a six on the first ball of the 17th over. But lost his wicket a ball later after miscuing his shot.
Pandey's dismissal invited Andre Russell to the crease and he didn't waste a single second to get into the action.
He opened his innings with a six and took a single on the next ball. Venkatesh matched Russell's intent and cleared the rope by flicking it over wide long-on.
On the final ball, a moment of confusion led to Russell's anguish as he got run out. Venkatesh was focused on watching the ball, and Russell ran straight for a single. Venkatesh saw Russell and made him go back to the non-striker's end. KKR's star hitter failed to get across the line in time and walked back with a score of 7.
Venkatesh tried to compensate by picking up a couple of boundaries in the next overs but fell to Bumrah on the second last ball of the innings for a score of 70.
Brief Score: KKR 169 (Venkatesh Iyer 70, Manish Pandey 42; Jasprit Bumrah 3-18) vs MI. (ANI)