Remembering Gautam Gambhir's 3 best knocks vs MI in IPL

The appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 17th season of the IPL has proved to be a masterstroke. The Knight Riders have played an exceptional brand of cricket this season, which is exciting for the fans, but at the same time, there is a method to the madness.

KKR's success in the ongoing season has been attributed a lot to Gautam Gambhir, who remains the third most successful captain in IPL history. It was under his tenure that KKR won the IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014.

While the role has changed considerably now, Gambhir has still managed to instill that fearless attitude in the group, which has resulted in them occupying the top spot in the competition.

KKR have already won eight out of their eleven matches so far and will look to finish the league stage in the top two, which will give them a shot at the final twice. The two-time champions will square off against the Mumbai Indians in their next assignment on Saturday, May 11.

While the head-to-head record against MI is dismal, they did win their previous game at the Wankhede and will be hoping to continue their winning juggernaut.

With the KKR-MI clash slated to kick off in the next few hours, let us have a look at the three best IPL knocks by Gautam Gambhir against the Mumbai Indians:

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# 3. 57 off 43 balls at the Eden Gardens in 2015

Gambhir raises his bat after scoring a half-century.

Back in 2015, Gambhir played a match-winning knock under pressure against the Mumbai Indians. It was his 43 ball 57 which laid the foundation for the rest of the batters to chase down the target of 169.

Mumbai Indians posted a competitive score of 168/3 in their allotted 20 overs after being put into bat by Gambhir.

Rohit Sharma, who loves playing at the Eden Gardens, was at his ominous best, smashing the KKR bowlers to all parts of the iconic stadium. However, he didn't get enough support at the other end. Corey Anderson chipped in with a half-century which propelled them to a decent score.

The Knight Riders lost Robin Uthappa early but the duo of Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey steadied the ship with a responsible partnership. Gambhir kept finding the gaps consistently and went on to score 57. His knock was studded with seven fours and a six.

When he departed off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, the platform was set for the middle order to get the job done. Suryakumar Yadav came in firing all cylinders and smashed a 20-ball-46 to see his side over the finish line. An unbeaten partnership with Yusuf Pathan ensured that KKR won by seven wickets.

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# 2. 59 off 45 balls at the Wankhede Stadium in 2016

Gambhir plays a cover drive against MI in 2016.

On this occasion, a fine half-century from Gautam Gambhir wasn't enough to pave way for a KKR victory but this will definitely stand as one of the best knocks he has played against the Mumbai Indians. Batting first, Kolkata posted a competitive score of 174 in their allotted 20 overs.

Gambhir utilised the powerplay and kept finding the gaps quite regularly. A 69-run partnership with Robin Uthappa came in quick time and it seemed KKR had the launchpad to go big towards the latter half of the innings. Gambhir smashed six fours and a six during his crafty knock before Mitchell McClenaghan prized him out.

KKR lost their way a bit towards the end as the MI bowlers executed their plans well. Rohit Sharma provided an ideal start for the Mumbai Indians. He took his time initially but was the glue in the run chase for MI.

He scored 68 off 49 balls. Just when it looked, KKR could make a comeback, Kieron Pollard blew all their hopes with a whirlwind 51 off 17 deliveries to take MI home with a couple of overs to spare.

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# 1. Gambhir's 64 off 52 balls at the Eden Gardens in 2016

Gambhir plays a shot en route to his 52 ball 64.

It was yet again in 2016 that Gambhir scored another half-century against the Mumbai Indians. However, it wasn't enough to take their side over the finish line. Knight Riders posted a commendable score of 187/5 in 20 overs after being put into bat by Rohit Sharma.

Uthappa departed early but that didn't catch Kolkata off guard. The pair of Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey started the resurrection job. Pandey was the aggressor and scored a 29-ball-52 to provide some momentum to the innings. Gambhir played the anchor's role to perfection and kept ticking the scoreboard.

Andre Russell also provided some fireworks in the middle overs. Kolkata looked set to post somewhere around the 200-run mark, which didn't transpire. Gambhir was eventually dismissed by Hardik Pandya after making 64. MI hardly broke a sweat in the run chase. Rohit Sharma again laid the foundation with a 54-ball 84 before Jos Buttler saw them through with a quickfire cameo of 41.