Riding on a clinical bowling performance and Quinton de Kock’s stellar half-century, Mumbai Indians thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets to go at the pinnacle of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. Chasing 149 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, MI get off to a flying start as KKR never looked in the contest. Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock piled up 94 runs for the first wicket, making a mockery of the opposition bowlers. The skipper got out on 35 but the Proteas star, who scored 78 runs off 44 balls, stayed unbeaten till the end as the four-time champions comfortably crossed the line with 19 balls to spare. MI vs KKR Highlights Dream11 IPL 2020.

Earlier in the day, newly-appointed KKR skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision didn’t prove to be a brilliant one as Trent Boult, and Jasprit Bumrah breathed fire with the ball. Dashers like Andre Russell, Shubman Gill and Dinesh Karthik were back in the hut inside 11 overs as Kolkata looked all set to post a mediocre total. However, Pat Cummins joined forces with captain Morgan and pulled things back for his team. The Australian dasher scored a staggering fifty as KKR posted 148/5 which eventually didn’t prove to be enough. Meanwhile, let’s look at the stat highlights of the game. Netizens Hail Quinton de Kock For Leading Mumbai Indians to a Stunning 8 Wicket Win.

# Chris Green and Nathan Coulter-Nile played their first match of the season for KKR and MI respectively.

# Trent Boult picked up his 50th wicket in IPL.

# Pat Cummins brought up his maiden half-century in Indian Premier League.

# Quinton de Kock registered his third fifty of Dream11 IPL 2020.

# 78 is De Kock’s third-highest score in IPL cricket.

# Pat Cummins went wicketless for the fifth consecutive time this season.

This was MI’s sixth victory from their first eight games, and they are just a few steps from securing a place in the playoffs. They will next take the field against Kings XI Punjab at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 18 (Sunday). On the other hand, KKR stayed at fourth spot with four wins from eight outings. Their next assignment is against Sunrisers Hyderabad on October 18 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2020 11:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).