Kolkata Knight Riders found the team balance they needed to defeat Mumbai Indians by 52 runs on Monday (May 9) and kept their faint IPL playoff aspirations alive. After solid runs from Venkatesh Iyer (43 off 24) and Nitish Rana, lead Mumbai Indians bowler Jasprit Bumrah took his first five-wicket haul in IPL history to reduce KKR to 165 for nine (43 off 24).
The Mumbai hitters failed to get going in the chase, as their innings concluded at 113 all out in 17.3 overs, despite Ishan Kishan’s 43-ball 51. KKR eventually combined Tim Southee (1/10) and Pat Cummins (3/22), and the strategy paid off with the two experienced pacers sharing four wickets. Andre Russell also contributed a couple of wickets.
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Venkatesh Iyer, who had to be withdrawn earlier in the tournament due to a poor run after a great first season in 2021, has returned to form. KKR, who has five victories from 12 games, may sneak into the top four with two games left, while MI is officially out of the playoff competition.
After being called into bat, KKR openers Venkatesh and Ajinkya Rahane (25 off 24 balls) contributed 60 runs in only 5.4 overs. Still, the Shreyas Iyer-led side failed to build on that promising start. Bumrah (5/10), who grabbed five wickets in two overs to put the brakes on KKR, who suffered a middle-order collapse, scorched his way to a 26-ball 43 with three boundaries and four sixes.
Bumrah dismissed Russell (9) and Rana in the 15th over, then claimed three wickets in the 18th over, including Sheldon Jackson (5), Pat Cummins (0), and Sunil Narine (0), to put MI back into the game.
Venkatesh hit three boundaries and four sixes, but he fell in the sixth over, gifting Daniel Sams a sitter at point, and spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh (2/32) took his maiden wicket. Venkatesh was ruthless against Murugan Ashwin (1/35), smashing him for a maximum, a pull shot, and a boundary.
As KKR raced to 26/0 after three overs, the southpaw smashed his second six over deep mid-wicket off Daniel Sams (1/26). When KKR scored 17 runs in the fifth over, he targeted Riley Meredith (0/35), smacking him for a boundary and a six, a scoop shot. From overs 7 to 10, Mumbai’s bowlers only gave up 23 runs. With a full delivery that turned in as the opener was beaten while trying a reverse-sweep, Kartikeya cleaned up Rahane.
Following Rahane’s dismissal, Rana increased the ante and went for Kartikeya, hitting him for two sixes in a row, one of which was over long-on. In the 13th over, he tore at Kieron Pollard, smashing two sixes and a boundary to give the side 17 runs. Then it was Bumrah’s turn to wreck havoc with the ball, bringing MI back into the game.
