Cummins’ incredible knock took Kolkata Knight Riders to a five-wicket victory, as the side chased down a 162-run target with four overs remaining. The Australian ended with an unbeaten score of 56 off just 15 deliveries, hitting four fours and six sixes. Pat Cummins smoked the joint-fastest IPL fifty off just 14 balls.
Cummins, who missed the team’s first three games owing to international commitments, is making his first appearance in the current season of the league. He was released from quarantine earlier this week after returning from a three-match Test series in Pakistan. Cummins grabbed two wickets with the ball, allowing 49 runs in four overs.
Earlier, KKR saw Mumbai Indians rebound from 55/3 in the 11th over to score 161 for four after winning the toss and electing to bowl. Suryakumar Yadav, who had missed the MI’s previous two games, top-scored for the side with 52 runs in 36 balls, while Tilak Varma, a rookie, smashed a key unbeaten 38 off 27 deliveries.
With Cummins’ stunning performance and Venkatesh Iyer’s undefeated 50, the Knight Riders chased down the target of 162 with 24 balls to spare.
The win sent the Knight Riders to the top of the table with six points from four games. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians are still in ninth place since they have yet to open their account.
Here’s the list of fastest half-centuries in IPL:
KL Rahul (against DC, 2018) – 14 balls
Pat Cummins (against MI, 2022) – 14 balls
Yusuf Pathan (against SRH, 2014) – 15 balls
Sunil Narine (against RCB, 2017) – 15 balls
Player of the Match is none other than Pat Cummins for his stupendous knock of 56* off just 15 deliveries as Kolkata Knight Riders win by 5 wickets.
