Prior to the match, many people would not have bet on Pat Cummins to play a whirlwind knock for Kolkata Knight Riders in order to clinch a magnificent victory over Mumbai Indians. Because Shreyas Iyer, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine are fit for the role. However, Pat Cummins stunned the Pune crowds with a match-winning knock on Wednesday (April 6). He also equaled the record of KL Rahul’s fastest (14) IPL fifty while chasing the Mumbai Indians target. Let’s take a look at how Cummins' innings helped Kolkata reach the top of the IPL 2022 points standings. 

The Highlights of the KKR vs MI Match and Pat Cummins' Splendid Knock

The 14th group stage match of the IPL 2022 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians took place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday.

Batted first, Mumbai Indians managed to score 161/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Mumbai had a very quiet start to their innings, losing 3 wickets for only 55 runs at the end of the 11 overs. They were able to reconstruct the innings thanks to Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma’s 83-run stand for the fourth wicket. In fact, the Mumbai team was ruthless in the second part of their innings as they made 106 runs in just 54 balls. 

Read SA vs BAN Test Series 2022: Team-Wise Statistics of St. George's Park Ground

Suryakumar Yadav scored the highest with 52 off 36 balls, while the Caribbean power-hitter Kieron Pollard made 22 runs off just five deliveries, including three huge sixes. Pat Cummins took the most wickets with two, but he was also the most expensive bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The right-handed medium pacer conceded 49 runs in his spell.

In this match, five sixes were hit against his bowling. So, in a way, Cummins was one of the main reasons the Kolkata Knight Riders failed to restrict the Mumbai Indians to under 150 runs. Maybe in the back of his mind, it moved him when he came to bat. Cummins wanted to compensate for his failure in bowling by putting up a fine batting display.

In the run chase, Kolkata started to lose wickets at regular intervals, which halted them from making big partnerships in the middle. But opener Venkatesh Iyer played the anchor role for the side by staying at the crease till the end with an unbeaten 50*-run.

Read Australia beat Pakistan by 3 wickets in one-off Twenty20

However, most importantly, Iyer’s unbroken 61* runs off just 17 balls stand with Pat Cummins did the job for Kolkata. Cummins himself contributed 56 runs in a 61-run partnership with Venkatesh Iyer. Even so, when Pat came to the crease in the 14th over after the departure of Russell, the Mumbai side was in a good position to clinch the contest. However, the charismatic Aussie paceman had another idea as he took on Mumbai’s prime bowlers, especially Daniel Sams, to seal the match for his side. 

Kolkata were 127/5 at the end of 15 overs, and the match had swung back in their favor at that point. However, Pat Cummins didn’t want to take too long and hammered 35 runs in the 16th over by Daniel Sams. He smacked his fellow countrymen all over the park and entertained the local crowds. Besides winning the match for Kolkata, the right-hand batter also completed his fifty in just 14 deliveries with six huge sixes. With this victory, the Kolkata Knight Riders reached the top spot in the IPL 2022 points standings.

Read PAK vs AUS Series 2022: Pakistan will play Australia in One-Off T20I

The List of the Fastest IPL Fifties

Over the years, many brilliant knocks have been witnessed in the Indian Premier League. Among the records in T20 format, probably the most popular ones are the fastest half-century and fastest century. Breaking Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine’s 15-ball half-century records, KL Rahul set a new record in 2018 against Delhi Daredevils. He smacked a 14-ball half-century for his side, Kings XI Punjab. Four years later, Pat Cummins equaled the record by smashing a 14-ball fifty against the Mumbai Indians for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Top three fastest IPL Fifties 

   Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

Read SA vs BAN Test Series 2022: Things Bangladesh Must Fix Before Second Match

Bottom Line

Pat Cummins' fastest half-century was undoubtedly a match-winning effort against the Mumbai Indians. It was not a fluke but a well-calculated innings. Cummins was watchful in the middle and smacked almost all the balls out of the ground with pure timing. This knock will be remembered by all the IPL fans in years to come. Kolkata Knight Riders also moved up to the top spot of the points table with this commanding victory, which will give them an early advantage in their quest for a top-four finish. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians have yet to win a match in the IPL 2022 and are currently in the second bottom position.