KKR outplayed MI by 7 wickets in a match where the bat dominated the ball. If skipper Rohit Sharma led his side to 168 for three with his unbeaten 98 then Gambhir (57) and Suryakumar Yadav (46 not out) took care of the chase for the home team. But it was Morne who got the man-of-the-match award for his 2-18.
"It was a tough total to chase, and the way we chased showed we were deserving winners. It was a very good wicket, but we never knew how it was going to behave. It was different to the usual wicket we see in Kolkata. The way Morne bowled, the way other guys bowled. Morne was exceptional. The way Sunil came back showed a lot of mental strength. Happy we have started the tournament on a high," said Gambhir in the post-match presentation.
"It was a good knock, but ending up on the losing side doesn't please you. I'm sure our guys can learn from the mistakes we made."
Morne, who got the all-important wickets of Aaron Finch (5) and Ambati Rayudu (0) to help reduce Mumbai to 37 for three credited the spinners for backing up his good work in front of the home crowd. Shakib Al Hasan bagged a wicket and Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla did the containing act well.