Mumbai Indians ease to seven-wicket win

Kolkata: Mumbai Indians today left behind on-field disappointments and off-field controversies to pull off their maiden win with an emphatic seven-wicket decimation of Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League outing here today.

After restricting Knight Riders to a modest 137 for 8, the visitors overcame early jolts to coast to a comprehensive victory with eight balls to spare to bag their first two points after losing four matches at a stretch.

Click here for scores

Dwayne Bravo (64 not out, 52b, 8x4, 1x6) and Robin Uthappa (37 not out, 37b, 5x4) took the game away from the Knight Riders with a 113-run unfinished fourth-wicket stand as the Mumbai Indians reached 138 for 3 in 18.4 overs to hand the hosts their second defeat in four matches.

West Indian Bravo went all guns blazing, while Uthappa played an uncharacteristic second fiddle at the other end, as the Knight Riders bowlers could do nothing to unsettle the duo on a sporting pitch, which was a far cry from the two-paced dry track that had been widely criticised nine days back.

With their regular captain Sachin Tendulkar still out of action owing to a groin injury, and stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh banned from the IPL for slapping Kings XI Punjab player S Sreesanth, the Mumbai side played their hearts out to dazzle the 80,000-strong crowd at the Eden with an all-round show.

Special: Indian Premier League | IPL 2008 Match Schedule

Set an asking rate of 6.9 per over, the visitors got off to a disastrous start, as Ajit Agarkar got rid of opener Ajinkya Rahane (4) in the first over. Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya (18) looked dangerous picking up three boundaries, but failed to build on the start.

Lanky Ishant Sharma uprooted Jayasuriya's stumps with an express delivery, before Ashok Dinda tasted success in his first over by sending back Manish Pandey (0) as Mumbai were reduced to 25 for 3.

But Robin Uthappa and Dwayne Bravo prevented any more reverses as they took the game away from the Kolkata Knight riders with a rollicking fourth wicket partnership that fetched 113-runs.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock stole the limelight, wrecking the top and middle order of the Kolkata Knight Riders, to restrict the hosts to a modest 137 for 8.

Best IPL images: Super Kings roar, nervous Preity | Harbhajan Singh: Controversy's favourite child

The crafty Jayasuriya displayed variation in bowling and stuck to a tight line to finish 4-1-14-3, a dream figure in the Twenty20 format of the game, as the Mumbai Indians were set an asking rate of 6.9 by the Knight Riders.

Pollock (2/27), stand-in captain in place of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, did the early damage removing openers Sourav Ganguly (4) and Brendon McCullum (2) in the first over on a pitch that looked sporting in sharp contrast to the two-paced dry wicket that had been universally condemned nine days back.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla (40 not out; 4x4, 2x6) emerged the top scorer, with a late assault which somewhat retrieved the situation for the knight riders, after they elected to bat first.

Skipper Ganguly's run drought continued as he departed in the third ball of the match, edging an away going delivery to Jayasuriya after having tentatively pulled Pollock to the fence in the previous delivery.