The Mumbai Indians' hopes for the IPL 2024 playoffs seem dashed following their eighth defeat in the tournament, this time at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. This marked KKR’s first victory in Mumbai in over a decade. Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya appeared at a loss when discussing the reasons behind their disappointing performance this season.
“It’s tough to pinpoint just one thing right now. It’s clear we struggled to build innings partnerships and consistently lost wickets. However, our bowlers performed admirably under the circumstances,” Pandya remarked post-match.
During the game, Kolkata batted first, setting a score of 169 all out, thanks to stellar bowling by Jasprit Bumrah and Nuwan Thusara, who each took three wickets. Venkatesh Iyer shone with a solid 70 for Kolkata.
Facing a 169-run target, the Mumbai Indians fell short by 24 runs, managing only 145 all out. Suryakumar Yadav stood out with a 56-run innings, but other key batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya himself, faltered.
Pandya lamented the timing of their batting in the second innings when the dew factor did not play to their advantage as expected. Despite the dwindling playoff prospects, he maintained that the team would continue to compete. “The conditions seemed to improve later in the game. We'll review and see where adjustments are necessary,” he explained.
Kolkata's captain Shreyas Iyer was elated with the outcome, describing the win as a “beautiful victory”.
“In talks with Mitchell Starc, I emphasized the importance of this match. This win puts less pressure on our remaining games. It’s a significant victory, though we can't dwell on it long with the upcoming schedule,” Iyer noted.
He also highlighted the performance of Manish Pandey, who came in as an ‘Impact Player’ and contributed 42 crucial runs, helping KKR to establish a defendable score. “The Impact Player rule really worked in our favor today. Manish has been ready since the start. I told our team we were in a good position to defend our total,” he added.
Iyer praised his spinners, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, who both took 2 for 22. “Our spinners executed their plans perfectly. They really delivered today,” he commended.
With this victory, Kolkata breaks a losing streak and gains momentum as they continue their campaign in the IPL.
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