Mumbai Indians: 147/8 (Bash 32* Green 2/23, Sourav 2/34)
KKR 148/6 (Manish 45, Rovman 40, Bash 3/30)
KKR won by 4 wickets
The team had not seen a win in six consecutive matches. Many KKR fans could not even hope that their favorite team would keep the playoff dream alive until the last match. But perhaps the team had faith in a famous dialogue from owner Shah Rukh Khan. In the movie Om Shanti Om, King Khan said, ‘If it’s not right, then it’s not the end, the picture is still left.’ That is, if the ending is not good, it is not the end at all. Rather, more is yet to happen. KKR seems to be proving just that. They are fighting tooth and nail until the last match to secure a playoff spot.
The playoff equation for KKR is very clear. Win the remaining two matches by big margins. Cameron Green and company completed half of that task at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. The Knights defeated a struggling Mumbai Indians. Mumbai had been knocked out of the playoff race long ago. The five-time champion Mumbai Indians are now playing merely for pride. However, at Eden Gardens that day, Hardik Pandya’s batting lineup crumbled against the Knight’s bowling. Whether pace or spin, Mumbai could not handle any of it.
Winning the toss, the Knight captain decided to bowl first. On a rain-soaked Eden, the KKR bowlers practically threw themselves into proving the captain’s decision absolutely correct. The pacers were in fiery form. The duo of Cameron Green and Sourav Dubey in the powerplay completely dismantled Mumbai’s batting lineup. Mumbai could only manage 46 runs in the first 6 overs. But by then, 4 batsmen, including Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, had already returned to the pavilion. Corbin Bash emerged as Mumbai’s savior in the final moments. He played a cameo of 32 runs off 18 balls. Relying on that small innings, Mumbai reached close to 150. Ultimately, their innings ended at 147 runs with the loss of 8 wickets.
KKR had the opportunity to quickly chase down the target of just 148 runs and boost their net run rate. With that goal, Finn Allen started the innings in an aggressive mood, similar to the previous day. But it wasn’t his day. Captain Rahane also failed to score quickly. Green disappointed as well. However, Manish Pandey showed his old magic. Injured in the hand, Angkrish Raghuvanshi could not bat that day. In his place, the 41-year-old ‘young’ Manish scored 45 runs. He added 64 runs for the partnership with partner Rovman Powell. In the end, KKR chased down the runs, taking a bit of time. By defeating Mumbai, the gold-and-purple brigade moved up to sixth place in the points table. A do-or-die match awaits next Sunday. The Knights will be able to know all the statistics before facing Delhi at Eden Gardens. Will the playoff door open? Will there be a ‘happy ending’ like Shah Rukh’s dialogue?
