Los Angeles Knight Riders 175 for 4 (Powell 73, Munro 55*, Ferreira 1-18) beat Texas Super Kings 173 for 5 (Mukkamalla 80, Narine 2-22, Holder 2-48) by six wickets

Mukkamalla’s fifty came off 43 balls and he shifted gears after that. He launched Andre Russell for a straight six, followed it up with two boundaries off Sunil Narine, and then cleared long-on against Jason Holder. Just as he looked set for a bigger score, Russell struck in the penultimate over, dismissing him for 80 in 55 balls when he was caught at long-on. Wiaan Mulder’s 16-ball 29 and Dian Forrester’s 8 off 3 balls then provided the finishing touches, lifting Super Kings to what appeared a competitive 173 for 5 at a ground where the two previous games had been low-scoring affairs.

Narine was Knight Riders’ standout bowler with figures of 2 for 22, having removed Faf du Plessis in the third over and Donovan Ferreira in the 15th.

Knight Riders’ chase started poorly. Andre Fletcher fell cheaply and, at the halfway mark, they were 51 for 2. When Matthew Tromp departed in the 11th over, Knight Riders were 63 for 3 and staring at a daunting equation of 111 runs from 54 balls. Munro was unbeaten on 23 off 27 deliveries at that stage.

The game turned when Powell joined him. The pair added 107 runs for the fourth wicket off just 41 balls to seize control of the chase. After a 17-run 13th over, Powell went on the offensive against Mulder, smashing two sixes and two fours in an over worth 22 runs.

Munro had found his rhythm by then, complementing Powell’s assault with timely boundaries. With 40 required off the last four overs, Powell virtually settled the contest by taking apart Adam Milne, striking 6, 6, 4, 4, 4 to get to an 18-ball fifty. Although Amshi de Silva eventually dismissed Powell for a blistering 27-ball 73, the damage had been done.

Munro ensured there were no late hiccups, staying unbeaten on 55 as LAKR completed the chase with eight balls to spare.