Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) became the first team in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to secure their qualification to the playoffs. In a rain-affected match at their home ground, Eden Gardens, KKR emerged victorious with an 18-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI), marking their ninth win of the season.
The evening rain led to the contest being curtailed to a 16-over-a-side affair. With MI winning the toss and opting to field, the match began with a sensational start. Phil Salt, opening the innings for KKR, launched the first ball from Nuwan Thushara over long-off for an enormous six. However, later in the same over, Salt attempted another aerial shot over fine-leg but only managed to find the fielder, ending his brief but explosive stint.
Jasprit Bumrah, the spearhead of MI’s bowling attack, came on for the second over and made an immediate impact. The first ball of his over swung in sharply and dismantled Sunil Narine’s stumps, leaving KKR in a precarious position at 10 for two inside two overs.
Despite the early setbacks, Venkatesh Iyer decided that an aggressive approach was the best form of defense. KKR, under pressure, needed a few strong hits to stabilize. Venkatesh provided just that, particularly targeting Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth over, which proved to be crucial for the home side. Although Venkatesh faced an injury scare initially, he quickly rebounded, smashing two fours and a six in the latter part of the over. Shreyas Iyer, who partnered with Venkatesh, was bowled by Anshul Kamboj shortly after, hitting the ball around his legs.
Nitish Rana, returning from injury, joined Venkatesh at the crease. Throughout KKR’s innings, large partnerships were absent as wickets fell regularly. However, critical contributions from individual players kept the scoreboard ticking. Venkatesh’s rapid 21-ball 42 set a strong foundation for KKR’s innings. His promising knock ended when he was caught by Suryakumar Yadav off Piyush Chawla in the ninth over. Andre Russell then made his way to the crease and showed his intent immediately by hitting his second ball over long-on for a six.
Nitish Rana kept the runs flowing during his stay, hitting boundaries frequently and maintaining the momentum. His innings, however, was cut short by a run-out at 33 in the 12th over.
. Useful cameos from the middle and lower order bolstered KKR’s total. Russell contributed 24 off 14 balls, Rinku Singh added 20 off 12 balls, and an unbeaten 17 off eight balls from Ramandeep Singh, which included a six off the last ball, took KKR to a challenging total of 157 for seven. Piyush Chawla was the standout bowler for MI, claiming two wickets for 28 runs in his three overs.
In response, MI got off to a blistering start in the powerplay, primarily due to Ishan Kishan’s aggressive batting. MI raced to 59 runs in the first five overs, with Ishan smashing 37 off just 17 balls. Harshit Rana conceded 15 runs in the fourth over, while Sunil Narine, in the fifth, was dispatched for a six and a four.
Ishan’s quickfire 40 came to an end in the seventh over when Narine had him caught at deep midwicket. Shortly after, Rohit Sharma, who had already hoisted a six off Vaibhav Arora, was caught by Narine at short fine-leg, giving Varun Chakaravarthy his first wicket. MI’s momentum slowed significantly as they reached 81 for two by the 10th over. Suryakumar Yadav’s presence provided hope, but Russell dashed those hopes by inducing a pull shot that ended in a catch at deep square-leg.
The middle overs saw KKR’s spinners tighten their grip on the match. Chakaravarthy delivered a masterful spell, taking two wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs. Narine supported him well with three overs, conceding 21 runs and taking a wicket. Russell’s contribution with the ball was equally pivotal, including the key wicket of Tim David for no score.
Tilak Varma fought valiantly to keep MI in the contest, even as the required run rate climbed. With 41 needed off the last two overs, Naman Dhir’s aggressive batting momentarily revived MI’s hopes. However, Harshit Rana, tasked with bowling the final over with 22 runs needed, rose to the occasion. He dismissed Dhir and subsequently ended Tilak Varma’s resistance, sealing a dramatic victory for KKR.
The match marked another celebratory evening at Eden Gardens, with the home crowd rejoicing a memorable season for the Knights. KKR concluded their home fixtures with five wins out of seven matches, reinforcing their position at the top of the IPL 2024 standings.