IPL 2024: Ishan Kishan Breaks Silence On Losing BCCI Contract And Missing Ranji Trophy

IPL 2024: Ishan Kishan responds to recent controversy of missing Ranji Trophy, missing out on BCCI contract and more.

Before the IPL 2024 season began, all the spotlight was on Ishan Kishan who lost his BCCI central contract after missing Ranji Trophy. As per reports, the decision came after the board sent letters to players to not prioritise IPL over domestic cricket but Kishan ignored it with Shreyas Iyer. After that saga, Kishan returned to competitive cricket in the IPL 2024 and has played a fine part in MI's campaign so far. After losing first three matches, Mumbai Indians bounced back with a stellar win against RCB at home.

Responding to the controversy, Kishan said, "I was practicing. When I took time off from the game, people were talking a lot. Many things came on social media. But you should also realize that many things are not in the hands of the players." (Virat Kohli Asks Wankhede Crowd To Stop Booing Hardik Pandya During MI vs RCB IPL 2024 Match, Video Goes Viral - Watch)

"The only thing you can do is utilise the time properly. Also the mindset to think about the previous Ishan Kishan, I would never leave a delivery in the first two overs even if they are bowling well. With time I have learnt that even 20 overs is a big game, you can take your time and you can go ahead. Even though we have lost matches, we want to work together as a team. Changes have come like even if I am not performing and if I know someone else is not performing, I talk to them. I want to know what they are thinking. So these are things which helped me in the break," he further added.

Kishan Scores Fastest Fifty For MI

During the 25th clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan became the batter to score the fastest fifty for the five-time champions.

Fiery half-centuries by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar and a five-wicket haul by Jasprit Bumrah helped MI seal a comprehensive seven-wicket win against RCB in the ongoing IPL 2024 at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. (EXPLAINED: Why Rishabh Pant Argued With On-Field Umpires During LSG vs DC Game In IPL 2024?)

In the encounter against the Faf Du Plessis-led side, Kishan went on to score the fifty in just 16 balls. The left-hand batter played a knock 69 runs from just 34 balls at a strike rate of 202.94 which was laced with seven boundaries and five maximums.

There are five batters more who achieved this landmark in 17 balls, namely Kieran Pollard in 2016 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and in 2021 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kishan in 2018 against KKR, Hardik Pandya in 2019 against KKR, and Surya Kumar Yadav in ongoing edition against RCB.

Coming to the match, MI opted to bowl first after winning the toss. After dismissing Virat (3) and Will Jacks (8) early, MI bowlers were smashed all over the park by skipper Faf Du Plessis (61 in 40 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Rajat Patidar (50 in 26 balls, with three fours and four sixes). Both put on an 82-run stand for the third wicket.

In the end, some fine finishing and shotmaking by Dinesh Karthik (53* in 23 balls, with five fours and four sixes) took RCB to 196/8 in 20 overs. Besides Bumrah (5/21), Shreyas Gopal, Gerald Coetzee and Akash Madhwal also took a wicket each.

In the run chase, Ishan Kishan (69 in 34 balls, with seven fours and five sixes), Rohit Sharma (38 in 24 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (52 in 19 balls, with five fours and four sixes) did not give RCB a chance to breathe and sealed the win in 15.3 overs.

Bumrah was given the 'Player of the Match' award. After this win, MI is seventh spot with two wins and three losses. They have four points. RCB is in the ninth spot, with a win and five losses, giving them just two points.