Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by 18 runs in a rain-shortened match.
Batting first, KKR posted a competitive total of 157-7 in 16 overs, thanks to notable contributions from Venkatesh Iyer (42), Nitish Rana (33), Andre Russell (24), and Rinku Singh (20). Jasprit Bumrah and Piyush Chawla were the standout bowlers for MI, each claiming two wickets.
In response, MI struggled to keep up with the required run rate and were eventually restricted to 139-8 in their allotted 16 overs. Ishan Kishan top-scored for MI with 40 runs, while Tilak Varma contributed 32. Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Andre Russell each picked up two wickets for KKR, while Sunil Narine chipped in with one.
With this win, KKR have accumulated 18 points from 12 matches and have secured their place in the playoffs, topping the table. Meanwhile, MI’s playoff hopes have been dashed as they remain on 8 points with just one game left to play.
