IPL 2022: With 56* from 15 balls— How Pat Cummins blew away Mumbai Indians – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

It is often said that this is a game that does a balancing act and a player can become a ‘hero from zero’ or even vice versa. The fans witnessed something of similar sorts on a Wednesday evening in Pune when Kolkata Knight Riders’ Pat Cummins who didn’t really have a great day with the ball against Mumbai Indians unleashed a master class with the bat.

Mumbai Indians rode on some fine piece of batting from Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, and a late surge from Kieron Pollard to compile a total of 161/4 in 20 overs.

Cummins had been the most expensive KKR bowler after he had leaked 49 runs in 4 overs but managed to pick a couple of wickets.

KKR later faced some problems during the chase and were left struggling at 101/5 with Venkatesh Iyer holding the fort at one end. The left-hander needed someone to stick around him to steady the ship for the side when Cummins walked in the middle at number seven.

What was unveiled next was a treat to any cricket fan. The Australian took just two deliveries to smash his first of the six maximums.

Tymal Mills who was bowling the 14th over bowled a leg-side half-volley and Cummins hit on this one out of the park over deep square leg boundary. The right-hander followed this with a four after piercing a gap between point and short third man on the touch fuller length delivery pitched outside off. But the real drama had just begun.

MI skipper Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Jasprit Bumrah in the 15th over with Iyer on strike at 49. The left-hander got a single on the first ball of an inside edge while trying to drive the good length delivery. Cummins was now on strike and the Indian pacer bowled a couple of dot deliveries on the trot but couldn’t continue his form on the next three.

He bowled a touch fuller delivery around the off-stump channel and Cummins didn’t waste the opportunity to send the ball in the crowd. The right-hander cleared his front leg and smoked it over the cow corner region for another maximum. Bumrah then bowled a perfect wide Yorker on the penultimate delivery but Cummins got some bat on it and with the third man up in the circle, the ball raced away to the fence for a four. He then took a single on the final ball of the over to retain the strike. Sharma in search of a wicket now handed the ball to Daniel Sams to bowl the 16th over. But little did the captain know, what was coming.

The left-arm bowler bowled a fullish delivery, outside off and Cummins in no time got into the position and hammered it over the long-on boundary for the over’s first maximum.

Sams then bowled full toss outside off and Cummins easily picked the gap between deep mid-wicket and long on to get four runs on this one.

An under-pressure Sams who had already given 10 runs in the first two deliveries certainly made another mistake when he bowled a slow delivery in the arc, giving Cummins ample time to clear his front leg, go down his back knee, and dispatch that over deep mid-wicket for six, leaving Sams and the other MI players in total disarray.

But the blunders from Sams continued as he bowled the fourth ball short, around the leg stump channel with no deep fine leg in place. Cummins just pulled the ball and helped it on its way for another maximum making 6,4,6,6 in the over.

With 13 needed off 26 now, the left-handed bowler tried to do something different. He changed the bowling side and came round the wicket only to bowl a waist-height no-ball while trying to bowl a Yorker.

Cummins managed to get enough bat on this one to almost clear the ropes at long of the region. But it was Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant effort in the field that he didn’t let the ball go for a six and KKR and Cummins could only get three runs on this one.

Yadav caught the ball initially but realised that the momentum will take him beyond the boundary line. He then lobbed the ball in the air and eventually completed the catch coming back from outside in the ground.

But his tremendous effort went in vain.

Cummins took full advantage of the free hit as he scored a four on a short-pitched delivery from Sams through square leg to complete his fifty in just 14 deliveries.

With 6 needed in 25 balls, Cummins didn’t waste any time to finish off the game as he hammered this final delivery of the over which was full in length on the fifth stump for another six straight down.

KKR completed a five-wicket win with 4 overs to spare. Cummins remained unbeaten at 56 in just 15 deliveries, a brutal knock that included six sixes and four fours and Sams ended up giving away 35 runs in one over.

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