NEW DELHI: Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the spin duo of Kolkata Knight Riders, disrupted Mumbai Indians' momentum after a promising start, securing an 18-run victory in a rain-shortened IPL clash on Saturday.
With this win, KKR solidified their playoffs position with two matches remaining, leading the 10-team standings with 18 points. This marks the first time since 2021 that KKR has advanced to the playoffs.
Looking ahead, KKR aims to secure a top-two finish, facing Gujarat Titans on Monday and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 19 in their final league encounters.
1/9:Kolkata Knight Riders down Mumbai Indians to confirm playoff berth
<p>Kolkata Knight Riders down Mumbai Indians to confirm playoff berth</p>AFP
2/9:Varun Chakravarthy
<p>Spinner Varun Chakravarthy's impressive 2-17 helped Kolkata Knight Riders secure a play-off spot, defeating Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in a rain-reduced IPL match.</p>AFP
3/9:Venkatesh Iyer
<p>Kolkata Knight Riders posted 157-7 with Venkatesh Iyer leading the charge with a quickfire 42 off 21 balls after being put in to bat at Eden Gardens.</p>AFP
4/9:Rohit Sharma
<p>Despite Mumbai Indians' solid start at 65-0, Chakravarthy's crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya turned the tide in Kolkata's favour.</p>AFP
5/9:Harshit Rana
<p>Mumbai Indians' innings ended at 139-8, with Tilak Varma's brisk 32 off 17 balls before falling to Harshit Rana, who also claimed two wickets in the last over.</p>AFP
6/9:Andre Russell
<p>Andre Russell's two wickets, including that of Suryakumar Yadav, supported Kolkata's victory, securing their ninth win in 12 matches and the first playoff berth.</p>AFP
7/9:Playoffs-bound
<p>The top four teams will advance to the play-offs, with the final scheduled for May 26 in Chennai, as Kolkata Knight Riders set the pace for the playoffs.</p>AFP
8/9:Nitish Rana
<p>Despite early setbacks, Venkatesh Iyer's aggressive innings, complemented by contributions from Nitish Rana and Andre Russell, propelled Kolkata to a competitive total.</p>AFP
9/9:Jasprit Bumrah
<p>Jasprit Bumrah and Piyush Chawla's two-wicket hauls were not enough for Mumbai Indians as Kolkata Knight Riders' balanced performance sealed their play-off berth.</p>AFPFollowing their triumph over Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders celebrated their playoffs berth with a lap of honor at the iconic Eden Gardens.
During the lap, KKR players were seen distributing tennis balls autographed by KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir, using tennis racquets for the giveaway.
WATCH:
Venkatesh Iyer shone with a quickfire 42 off 21 deliveries before a resilient MI bowling effort limited KKR to 157/7 in a 16-overs-a-side match, delayed by an hour and thirty minutes.
In response, Mumbai Indians, already out of playoff contention, managed 139/8 in their 16 overs.
With this loss, Mumbai Indians suffered their ninth defeat in 13 matches and will conclude their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on May 17.
