InMobi

Hussey struggles as Mumbai fold

Hussey struggles but Watto's Standing By him

Above: Watch Shane Watson sing 'Stand By Me' at the IPL launch (with thanks to gocricket.com)

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Michael Hussey has struggled in his first match of the Indian Premier League, managing just three off 13 balls as his Mumbai Indians went down to the Kolkata Knight Riders by 41 runs in Abu Dhabi.

A 131-run stand between Jacques Kallis (72 off 46) and Manish Pandy (64 off 53) proved the difference between the two sides, the pair mixing technique with brute strength to blunt an attack led by the experienced duo of Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga.

Kallis and Pandy came together following the dismissal of Gautam Gambhir for naught to a classic in-swinging yorker from Malinga, that wicket proving the only highlight in a horrid fifteen overs for the Indians. 

Malinga re-entered the attack one hundred runs after his first wicket to break the partnership, knocking back Pandey’s off-stump before getting Kallis caught in the deep to orchestrate a mini fight back from Mumbai.

The Sri Lankan finished with 4-23 off four overs to help restrict Kolkata to 5-163.

In reply, Hussey never really got going against the dual international opening bowling combination of Morne Morkel and Vinay Kumar, eventually clean bowled by a Sunil Narine quicker delivery for three.

Ambati Rayudu (48 off 40) and Rohit Sharma (27 off 20) did their best to keep Mumbai in the hunt, but it was no avail, the 2013 IPL and Champions League Twenty20 champions falling 41 runs short of the required total.

Narine was the pick of the Kolkata bowlers with 4-20 off his four overs The West Indian spinner became the fastest player to reach 50 IPL wickets when he bowled Harbhajan Singh.

The Kolkata victory marks just the third time the Knight Riders have beaten Mumbai in the history of the tournament.