Summary of this article
Shardul Thakur picks three wickets to restrict KKR to 220
Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi slam fifties for KKR
Finn Allen gave played a fiery knock of 37 off just 17 balls
Shardul Thakur, popularly known as 'Lord Thakur' because of his knack for picking wickets, has once again lived up to his reputation as he picked up three key wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring affair at the Wankhede Stadium.
While other bowlers looked ineffective against the batting prowess of Ajinkya Rahane, Finn Allen, and Cameron Green on a beautiful Wankhede wicket, Thakur came in between and bowled clever, slower balls into the pitch to dismiss the three top-order batters off KKR and stem the flow of runs.
Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen at one stage were looking like they could take the game away from MI, but the guile of Shardul Thakur turned into their undoing, thus still keeping MI in the game.
However, his last overs went for 14 runs, which ruined his figures as he ended up with figures of 4-39-3 but his timely wickets could make a big difference in the match.
Rahane-Raghuvanshi Slam Fifties To Take KKR To
After being sent in to bat first, KKR made the most of the batting-friendly conditions and blasted handsome half-centuries to take their team to a healthy first innings total of 220.
Ajinkya Rahane scored 67 off 40 balls and forged a strong 69-run stand with Finn Allen. He smashed three fours and five sixes during the course of his innings.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who had a scratchy start, found touch as the innings progressed and ended up with 51 runs off 29 balls. He slammed six fours and two sixes in his innings.
KKR managed to score a good first innings total of 220 on a good Wankhede track. However, with the kind of batting MI possess, no total can be considered safe.
