In a thrilling TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 encounter at Eden Gardens, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) became the first team to secure their spot in the playoffs, edging past the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 18 runs. This marked their ninth win of the season, bringing exhilaration to their home crowd in what has been a memorable campaign.
The evening witnessed persistent rain, forcing the contest to be reduced to a 16-over-a-side affair. MI won the toss and elected to field, setting the stage for a high-octane battle. From the very first ball, the match promised fireworks. Phil Salt, opening for KKR, launched Nuwan Thushara’s delivery over long-off for a massive six. However, Salt’s aggressive start was short-lived as he attempted another big shot over fine-leg and was caught in the deep, leaving KKR at a teetering 10 for two early on.
Jasprit Bumrah, donning his purple cap, bowled the second over and claimed the key wicket of Sunil Narine, who misjudged a full delivery and saw his stumps uprooted. With KKR in early trouble, Venkatesh Iyer stepped up to the challenge, embodying the adage that the best defense is a good offense. KKR may have been down, but Iyer was determined to fight back.
In a dramatic fourth over bowled by Bumrah, Iyer initially faced an injury scare, but soon recovered to take control. With powerful strokes, including two fours and a towering six, he kept KKR’s hopes alive. Despite his valiant effort, the team lost Shreyas Iyer to Anshul Kamboj soon after. At this stage, Nitish Rana, returning from injury, joined Venkatesh at the crease to stabilize the innings.
Although KKR struggled to build long partnerships and frequently lost wickets, crucial contributions kept their innings afloat. Venkatesh Iyer’s 21-ball 42 set a dynamic tone, but his hopes for a bigger score were dashed when he was caught by Suryakumar Yadav off Piyush Chawla’s bowling in the ninth over. Andre Russell then entered the fray and immediately made his presence felt with a signature six over long-on.
Rana, steady and impactful, kept the scoreboard ticking with regular boundaries. His 33-run knock was vital despite ending abruptly due to a run-out in the 12th over.
. The useful contributions continued with Russell adding 24 off 14 balls, Rinku Singh chipping in with a quick 20 off 12, and Ramandeep Singh finishing with an unbeaten 17 off eight balls, which included a last-ball six. These efforts propelled KKR to a competitive total of 157 for seven.
From Mumbai Indians’ end, Chawla emerged as the standout bowler, claiming two wickets for 28 runs in his three overs. Bumrah, although expensive, picked up two wickets for 39 runs in his four overs, tightening his grip on the purple cap. Kamboj’s economical spell of one for 24 in three overs also helped restrict KKR’s run flow.
MI began their chase with an explosive start courtesy of Ishan Kishan, who blazed to 37 in just 17 balls. Harshit Rana’s fourth over went for 15 runs, and even Narine was taken for a six and a four in the subsequent over. With MI racing away at 59 for no loss in the first five overs, the chase seemed well within reach.
However, the middle overs saw KKR’s spinners craft a stunning comeback. Narine struck by having Ishan caught at deep midwicket in the seventh over. Shortly after, Rohit Sharma’s attempt to rotate strikes resulted in a catch to Narine at short fine-leg off Varun Chakaravarthy’s bowling, reducing MI to 81 for two by the tenth over and shifting the momentum back to KKR.
Russell struck a decisive blow by dismissing Suryakumar Yadav, who pulled one straight to deep square-leg in the 11th over. The wickets kept tumbling as Chakaravarthy and Narine tightened the screws with economical and penetrative spells, conceding merely 17 runs for two wickets in Chakaravarthy’s four overs and 21 runs with a wicket in Narine’s three.
Despite Tilak Varma’s dogged resistance, the mounting asking rate proved too steep. Naman Dhir’s daring shots momentarily reignited MI’s hopes, but with 22 runs required off the final over, Harshit Rana rose to the occasion. He extinguished MI’s aspirations by dismissing both Dhir and Varma to seal the victory for KKR.
As the final wicket fell, the Eden Gardens crowd erupted in joyous celebration, proud of their team’s achievements. KKR’s triumph at their home ground capped off a season that saw them securing five wins in seven home matches, underlining their dominance and resilience.