ABU DHABI — Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians by 41 runs to kick off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 in the UAE Wednesday. With the sun setting in the backdrop, Jacques Kallis smashed a splendid 72 off 46 balls to power Kolkata to 163 for five. In reply, Mumbai was tied down and couldn't get going during its run-chase. Sunil Narine was in the act again with a crafty spell of 4-20. Kolkata started off slowly with Gautam Gambhir being bowled for a duck in the second over by a typical Lasith Malinga yorker. That was when Pandey came in and constructed a good partnership with Kallis. While Pandey got to his fifty in 42 balls, Kallis got there off 37. He was ultimately dismissed for 72 off 46 by Malinga. Mumbai had a mixed beginning to its run-chase. While Aditya Tare was attacking, Michael Hussey had a tough time getting used to the surface. Morne Morkel added spice to the contest when he kept Hussey under pressure. That only added the pressure on him and Sunil Narine bowled him comprehensively. Tare was dismissed with the score on 40 in the eighth over. After 15 overs, Mumbai had only scored 95. Mumbai had waited for the assault, but it never came. Even Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson, the big hitters failed to hit big and struggled to the spinners. This leaves Mumbai with many questions, particularly about its batting order. Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Jacques Kallis 72, Manish Pandey 64; Lasith Malinga 4 for 23) beat Mumbai Indians 122 for 7 in 20 overs (Ambati Rayudu 48; Sunil Narine 3 for 16) by 41 runs. — Agencies
