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Match Report:

Scorecard

Rohit secures Mumbai's first win

Captain carries his bat before overseas players finish the chase of 187 against Kolkata

The match in a tweet: Rohit drops anchor while Buttler applies the finishing touch as Mumbai chase down 187 to topple the Knight Riders.

The hero: Rohit Sharma continued his love affair with the Eden Gardens with a sublime unbeaten 84 from just 52 balls. The Mumbai skipper had stated before the match he wanted to open the innings and lead from the front. The skipper did exactly that by first dispatching the third ball he faced for six and then orchestrating a perfect run chase with an array of classy shots that included 10 fours and two sixes. Importantly for Mumbai, Rohit finished the job by hitting Andre Russell for four boundaries in the 19th over as he raced from 60 to 84 in just seven balls to ensure a Mumbai victory.

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The support cast: Despite the cameo of Mitchell McLenaghan (see below) Mumbai still need 79 runs from 49 balls when Jos Buttler arrived at the crease. After a couple of sighters Buttler ramped, flicked, lofted and demoralised the KKR bowlers to swing the game in favour of Mumbai. The Englishman hit three fours and three sixes in brisk 41 from 22 delivers to provide the perfect supporting role to Rohit.

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The stat: Gautam Gambhir has 27 fifty-plus scores in the IPL, more than any other batsman.

The victim: Dre-Russ went from hero to zero in very quick time. The big Jamaican had plundered 36 from 17 balls with the bat but sadly for him his bowling misfired as he dished up constant half-volleys to Rohit and Buttler. Between them the pair hit him for 42 runs from 17 balls as Russell finished with figures of 4-0-52-1.

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The consolation effort: Left out of India’s WT20 squad initially despite a breathtaking century against Australia in January, Manish Pandey has been itching for an opportunity to show his class in a big match. Against the reigning champions, Pandey put on a batting master class against pace and spin by scoring 52 from 29 balls. Pandey's assault on Mumbai spinners, in which he scored 27 runs from 14 balls, ensured KKR gained the ascendancy after the sluggish power play.

The talking point: With the 101 runs required from the last 10 overs and with the likes of Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler waiting in the dugout, Mumbai decided to promote bowler Mitchell McClenaghan to No.4. The experiment proved to be master stroke, as the big Kiwi slogged three sixes in his eight ball 20 to kick start the chase.

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The wash-up: It might have been the third game in space of 10 days on the Eden Gardens pitch but playing three wrist spinners was always going to be a gamble. Brad Hogg, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav proved to be ineffective as they conceded 105 runs from 11.1 overs between them. With Sunil Narine cleared to bowl before the match it was tactical decision that clearly backfired for the Knight Riders.

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The next stop: Knight Riders now head away from home for the first time this season to tackle the Kings XI while Mumbai return to fortress Wankhede to meet the new boys Gujarat.