Kolkota Knight Riders suffered an embarrassing 92 run defeat in their match against the Mumbai Indians. Set a stiff target of 188, the Kolkota side resisted for a while before crumbling  pitifully to 95-9, with one player unable to bat. It was a shambolic display but one which has tended to be the trademark of this high-profile that is high on stars and controversy but distinctly low on performance.

Earlier in the day, Sachin Tendulkar (68 off 45) and Sanath Jaysuriya (52 off 32) gave the tournament its best partnership with a dazzling stand of 127 off 12.2 overs – a run rate of over 10 an over. The pair pounded away at the Kolkota bowling, which with the honorable exception of Shukla (4-0-25-3) kept disappearing to different parts of the park. Although the rest of the Mumbai batting could not keep up the tempo (10 per over ain’t exactly a lark in the park), the final score of 187-6 was still a formidable one.

It got downright unattainable when Messrs Gayle and McCullum failed to do anything remotely similar to what Sachin  and Sanath had done – falling for 17 by the 3rd over. Hodge and Ganguly added 54 but the asking rate kept mounting and both perished attempting to push the rate. Hodge’s departure, two deliveries after the tactical break (it’s amazing how wickets keep falling after that silly interval), precipitated a landslide that saw the Knight Riders slide from 71-2 in 10.1 overs to 95-9 in 15.2 – seven wickets fell for 24 runs in 31 deliveries, leaving the Knight Riders without even the consolation of reaching three figures.

Perhaps John Buchanan needs to start thinking on the lines of getting more players rather than captains! A 92 run defeat in a 2020 match is about humiliating as it can get!