Shreyas Iyer's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) booked their ticket to the IPL 2024 playoffs after crushing Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) by 18 runs in a rain-affected encounter at Eden Gardens on Sunday, May 11. Apparently, this was KKR's ninth victory of the season, propelling them to the top of the table with 18 points from just 12 matches. Also KKR ended their three-year-long playoff drought drought and finally assured their top four finish.
On the other hand, MI's torrid campaign continued as they recorded their ninth defeat of the season to sit at the ninth spot in the IPL 2024's points table. MI batters failed to chase down a 158-run target as they were restricted to 139/8, thanks to impressive two-fers by Varun Chakaravarthy, Andre Russell and Harshit Rana.
Hardik Pandya rues MI's torrid campaign
Hardik Pandya, who could only score 2 off 4, admitted that MI didn't play good cricket this season after defeat against KKR.
“Tough one, yeah. As a batting unit, the foundation was there but we could not capitalize after that and keep the momentum up. The wicket was a little up and down and a little tacky so momentum was very important," Hardik said at the post-match presentation.
"I think it was a par score, given the conditions, felt that the bowlers did well. Every ball that came back from the boundary came back wet. The bowlers made sure they kept taking wickets. (On his thoughts for the next game) Nothing, just to go and enjoy as much as we can and play good cricket, that’s been my motto from the start. I don’t think we’ve played enough good cricket this season,” he added.
Early fireworks fizzled out, Mumbai's chase falters
MI's chase started brightly with openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma (promoted as an impact player) stitching together a 59-run partnership in the powerplay. They aggressively targeted the KKR pace attack, raising hopes of a dominant chase. However, the introduction of the KKR spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, proved to be a turning point.
Narine struck the crucial blow, dismissing the in-form Kishan for a quickfire 40 runs. Rohit Sharma, struggling with his form, followed soon after, dismissed by Varun for 19 runs. This double-wicket blow by the KKR spinners effectively derailed Mumbai's chase, leaving them directionless.
While Tilak Varma attempted to salvage the situation with a well-played 32 runs off just 17 balls, it wasn't enough to overcome the early setback. The rest of the Mumbai batting line-up faltered, offering minimal resistance.
KKR recover from early setback to post competitive total
Earlier, Mumbai Indians had enjoyed a dream start themselves, dismissing the explosive KKR opening pair of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt within the first seven balls. However, Venkatesh Iyer stepped up for KKR, playing a crucial knock of 42 runs off just 21 balls, including six fours and two sixes. This provided much-needed stability to the innings. Later contributions from Nitish Rana (33), Andre Russell (24), and Rinku Singh propelled KKR's total past a respectable 150 runs, setting a challenging target for Mumbai.
After KKR defeat, Hardik Pandya's MI will return home to face Lucknow Super Giants in their final league match on May 17 at the Wankhede Stadium. While their season may be over, they'll undoubtedly be aiming to end on a high note and salvage some pride.
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