Kolkata Knight Riders registered a comfortable win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash by four wickets on Wednesday, May 20 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This was KKR's sixth win in the last seven games in the ongoing tournament.
Hardik Pandya blames poor fielding
After the loss, Hardik Pandya admitted that wicket was very good for the bowlers but the dropped catches made them suffer a lot in the game, as the half chances should be grabbed by the fielders.
"Quite entertaining. I think we lost wickets in the powerplay. We should have stitched a couple of more partnerships. I don't mind playing on such wickets. I think IPL is getting batting dominated," said Hardik Pandya.
"This was a good wicket for bowlers, I kind of enjoyed it. We have dropped a lot of catches. No one wants to do it, but there's no hiding away. You have to grab those chances, you have to grab even half chances, or else you are always chasing the game," concluded Pandya.
Underwhelming performance from MI
Mumbai's innings got off to a disastrous start as they slipped to a precarious 41/4 within the powerplay. Skipper Hardik Pandya (26) and Tilak Varma (20) attempted to steady the ship, grafting a 43-run partnership off 49 balls to stabilize the middle order. However, it was a late, explosive cameo from Corbin Bosch, who smashed an unbeaten 32 off just 18 balls, that provided the necessary fireworks to push MI close to the 150-mark. KKR’s bowlers hunted in packs, with Cameron Green (2/23), Saurabh Dubey (2/34), and Kartik Tyagi (2/37) striking regularly, while veteran Sunil Narine choked the run flow with exceptional figures of 1/13.
KKR's resilient effort
In reply, Kolkata's chase was anchored by a crucial 64-run partnership between Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell. Pandey’s composed 45 and Powell’s impactful 40 kept KKR firmly on track, neutralizing the pressure of the scoreboard. Despite a late wobble caused by Corbin Bosch, who capped off a brilliant all-round day with figures of 3/30 alongside solitary wickets from Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, and AM Ghazanfar, KKR held their nerve. Ultimately, it was Rinku Singh (9*) who scored the winning runs to seal the vital victory for the hosts.