By In a thrilling match at Wankhede, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Mumbai Indians in a rare sub-200 contest, strengthening their position in the top four and securing their first points at the venue since the 2012 season. KKR faced a batting collapse, but Venkatesh Iyer’s resilient innings propelled them to 169 on a fresh, tacky pitch. Mitchell Starc’s impactful bowling at the start and finish, along with the spinners’ crucial contributions in the middle overs, disrupted Mumbai Indians’ chase, despite a valiant effort from Suryakumar Yadav.
Where was the game won?
MI’s chase started poorly, but Suryakumar’s determined innings kept them in the game until the death overs, when they needed 51 off 30 balls. However, Suryakumar’s dismissal in the 16th over triggered a collapse from which MI couldn’t recover. KKR also lost wickets in that period but managed to score valuable runs, giving their bowlers a defendable total.
The difference in death overs
| Parameters | KKR | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41/5 | 26/4 |
| Run-rate | 8.48 | 6.78 |
| 4s/6s | 1/4 | 0/2 |
Kolkata Knight Riders
PowerPlay: KKR’s top-order struggled on a ‘fresh’ Wankhede pitch
In the initial overs, Nuwan Thushara took three wickets in two overs as Phil Salt, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and Shreyas Iyer departed quickly. While Salt’s dismissal required a good catch from Tilak Varma, the next two wickets resulted from the pitch holding up the ball, forcing mistimed shots. Sunil Narine hit a six but lost his wicket in the fifth over.
Middle-overs: Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey stabilize the innings
Rinku Singh’s dismissal led to the introduction of Manish Pandey, who joined Venkatesh Iyer in a careful partnership. While Piyush Chawla bowled tightly, the duo scored off Naman Dhir’s overs before attacking Gerald Coetzee and Jasprit Bumrah. Venkatesh Iyer scored his fourth 50-plus score against MI, while Manish Pandey made the most of his rare opportunity in the team this year.
Death-overs: Bumrah’s brilliance limits KKR
Hardik Pandya dismissed Pandey in the 16th over, but Andre Russell’s cameo lifted KKR. However, a run-out and Bumrah’s late strikes restricted KKR to 169. Venkatesh Iyer’s innings of 70 off 52 balls was crucial.
Mumbai Indians
PowerPlay: MI’s early struggles
Mitchell Starc dismissed Ishan Kishan, and Varun Chakravarthy cleaned up Naman Dhir and Rohit Sharma, leaving MI at 46/3.
Middle-overs: Suryakumar Yadav’s fight
Despite tight bowling from KKR, Suryakumar Yadav fought on, supported briefly by Tilak Varma. MI lost wickets regularly but Suryakumar’s innings kept them in the chase.
Death-overs: Russell and Starc seal the win
Andre Russell’s crucial wicket of Suryakumar Yadav in the 16th over shifted momentum. Starc’s tight over and crucial wickets in the 17th over left MI needing 43 off 18 balls. Tim David provided some hope but fell to Starc, who wrapped up the match with a fantastic four-wicket haul.
Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 169 in 19.5 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 70, Manish Pandey 42; Jasprit Bumrah 3-18, Nuwan Thushara 3-42) beat Mumbai Indians 145 in 18.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 56; Mitchell Starc 4-33, Varun CV 2-22, Sunil Narine 2-22, Andre Russell 2-30) by 24 runs
What’s next?
KKR travel to Lucknow to face LSG on Sunday, while MI host Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday.
