The 51st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 saw Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeat Mumbai Indians (MI) by 24 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
MI won the toss and elected to field first. KKR’s start was far from ideal as Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Thushara ran hot, dismissing Phil Salt (5), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (13), and Shreyas Iyer (6) cheaply. Hardik Pandya and Piyush Chawla added to KKR’s woes, taking a wicket each, and restricting the visitors to a precarious 57/5 after just six overs.
Manish Pandey, brought in as an impact player, along with Venkatesh Iyer, steadied the visitors innings with a crucial 83-run partnership. Pandey fell for 42. Iyer (70) kept his wicket at the other end but Jasprit Bumrah‘s excellent death bowling restricted KKR to a below-par total of 169.
Bumrah was the star with the ball, picking up three wickets for just 18 runs, claiming his 23rd three-wicket haul in the IPL – the most ever in the tournament’s history. This performance also earned him the Purple Cap for leading the wicket-takers list in IPL 2024 with 17 wickets.
Chasing 170 for victory, the host lost Ishan Kishan (13) early to Mitchell Starc. KKR’s spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine then applied the squeeze, dismissing Rohit Sharma (11), Naman Dhir (11), Tilak Varma (4), and Nehal Wadhera (6). Andre Russell joined the party, dismissing Pandya for just one run, leaving MI reeling at 71/6.
Suryakumar Yadav offered a lone fight with a well-made half-century, but once he was dismissed by Russell, MI’s chase fell apart. Starc cleaned up the lower order, securing a comfortable 24-run victory for the visitors. This win marked a historic moment for KKR, as it was their first victory at the Wankhede Stadium in 12 years.
Starc was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, claiming four wickets. Chakaravarthy, Narine, and Russell chipped in with two wickets each.
Venkatesh Iyer, with his knock of 70 runs off 52 balls, was adjudged the Man of the Match.
This win solidifies KKR’s position at the second spot on the IPL 2024 points table with seven wins from 10 matches. MI, on the other hand, remain at the ninth position with just three wins from 11 matches played.
Scorecard:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 169, Overs 19.5, Venkatesh Iyer 70, Jasprit Bumrah 3/18
Mumbai Indians: 145, Overs 18.5, Suryakumar Yadav 56, Mitchell Starc 4/33