Date:01/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/01/stories/2008050156512100.htm

Sport - Cricket

First victory for Mumbai Indians

S. Sabanayakan

— Photo: PTI

Dwayne Bravo.

KOLKATA: Finally, Mumbai Indians tasted victory in the DLF-Indian Premier League.

Without Sachin Tendulkar and making three changes, Mumbai Indians showed better motivation and had a better game plan as it chalked up its seven-wicket victory over the Sourav Ganguly-led Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

Mumbai Indians’ batting was in complete contrast to that of Knight Riders, which chose to bat first. Despite losing three early wickets, Mumbai Indians’ fourth-wicket pair of Robin Uthappa and Dwayne Bravo mixed controlled aggression with caution to take the match away from the home side.

A revelation

It was indeed a revelation to see the two produce the winning unbeaten 113-run partnership, a championship record. Coming together at 25 for three in 4.1 overs, Uthappa and Bravo dominated the show to silence the near-capacity crowd.

The teams were almost equal at the end of the 11th over, but Bravo turned the match in the 12th over bowled by left-arm spinner Murali Kartik. Bravo plundered two boundaries and a six, the over yielding 15 runs.

Sanath Jayasuriya was adjudged Man of the Match.

The scores: Kolkata Knight Riders: 137 for eight in 20 overs.

Mumbai Indians: A. Rahane c Hussey b Agarkar 4, S. Jayasuriya b Sharma 18, M. Pandey b Dinda 0, R. Uthappa (not out) 37, D. Bravo (not out) 64; Extras (lb-5, w-9, nb-1): 15. Total (for three wickets in 18.4 overs): 138.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-25, 3-25.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Agarkar 4-0-23-1, Sharma 3.4-0-33-1, Dinda 4-0-12-1, Kartik 3-0-24-0, Hafeez 1-0-16-0, Ganguly 2-0-14-0, Shukla 1-0-11-0.