Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) relived memories. They lost to Mumbai Indians twice in 2014. Once in Kolkata, the other in Abu Dhabi. A decade later, those memories resurfaced. On Saturday, at home, Mumbai Indians lost to KKR by 18 runs.
First in Wankhede, then in Eden Gardens. Twice in a week. Kolkata rejoiced when they defeated Rohit’s team, securing a win against the defending champions, KKR. Gautam Gambhir led the team.
This time, Jiji was present at the dugout for the Knights. However, as a mentor. Saturday night confirmed Mumbai’s position as the first qualifier after defeating them.
KKR scored 18 points in 12 matches. They were on top of the league. Their chances of making it to the top two were high. 22 runs were needed in the last over of the day. But Mumbai’s innings halted at 139 runs with 8 wickets down in 20 overs.
KKR’s first match at Eden also ended with a bang as Harshith Rana hit a six off the last ball. The match started 1 hour and 45 minutes later due to rain, reducing it to 16 overs. KKR lost 7 wickets in the allotted overs, scoring 157 runs.
The Knights handed over the bat to Mumbai’s bowlers to chase the runs. Rohit and Hardik failed. Only Ishan Kishan managed to score runs. Although the game continued until 12:00 AM, the stadium was packed. KKR thanked Kolkata’s fans at the end of the match.
When KKR’s innings ended, 3 overs were left. Suddenly, Rohit, Rohit Rob appeared on the screen. Like the previous match, Rohit was Mumbai’s impact player of the day. Therefore, he wasn’t seen fielding on the pitch.
Ultimately, Rohit’s fans were disappointed as he couldn’t repeat his previous match’s performance. Kolkata has a special place in Rohit’s heart, especially Eden Gardens. This city has always embraced him warmly.
He has performed exceptionally well here. KKR has won 7 out of 10 encounters with Mumbai. However, this time, the five-time champions returned empty-handed. They secured their spot in the playoffs against Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The match was in its 5.5th over. Varun Chakravarthy’s delivery directly hit Rohit’s pads. Despite the umpire’s not out decision, KKR reviewed it. Eden was anxious. However, they were not worried about the wicket but rather Rohit’s fate.
Everyone’s eyes were on the giant screen. The crowd erupted in joy when Rohit’s name flashed. KKR fans wanted to witness Rohit’s batting. However, Eden was denied the opportunity to see Hitman’s true form. He wasn’t comfortable from the start. Eventually, he got out to an extraordinary delivery from Varun. Rohit scored 19 runs off 24 balls, including a six and a four.
It was a low-scoring match. Scoring runs at Eden was challenging. However, Ishan Kishan played well. With the help of 2 sixes and 5 fours, he scored 40 runs off 22 balls for Mumbai’s wicketkeeper-batsman.
At the end of 10 overs, Mumbai had scored 81 runs with the loss of 2 wickets. However, they couldn’t sustain their momentum. Suryakumar Yadav (11), Hardik Pandya (2), and Tim David (0) couldn’t contribute. KKR’s bowlers had to take advantage of the batsmen’s failure. Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine bowled exceptionally well. Harshith Rana and Andre Russell also took crucial wickets.
Winning the toss, KKR sent Hardik Pandya to bat. Considering the rain threat, they decided to chase runs. Pacers took advantage of the wet conditions. KKR’s opening pair failed. This was rare in the IPL.
In almost every match, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine laid the foundation for the team’s victory. However, this time, the Caribbean all-rounder returned with zero runs.
Despite Nilesh Rana’s partnership, KKR was struggling at 6 runs. Andre Russell (24), Rinku Singh (20), and Ramandeep Singh (17) added crucial runs. Varun Chakravarthy was KKR’s best bowler with a joint partnership.
