In an attempt to strengthen their postseason hopes, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will visit the Wankhede Satdium in Mumbai for their next Indian Premier League 2024 game.
With 12 points from nine games, the Knight Riders are in second place in the standings. A victory over the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday would give them a chance to catch up to the top-seeded Rajasthan Royals.
The two-time winner, nevertheless, has a dismal losing run at the location. Not only has KKR lost 23 of its 32 games versus MI, but it has also only triumphed once in its ten games played at the Wankhede.
The last time the Knight Riders beat MI at Wankhede was in 2012, thanks to a player named Sunil Narine who was still wearing the purple and gold uniform.
After winning the toss, Mumbai captain Harbhajan Singh decided to field. In the second over of the innings, left-arm bowler R.P. Singh struck twice, putting the visiting team down for just six runs and giving the home team the ideal start. Manoj Tiwary and captain Gautam Gambhir worked together for the third wicket to help their team recover.
However, Gambhir was dismissed by all-rounder Kieron Pollard, ending the comeback and leaving KKR at 44 for three. Dwayne Smith removed Shakib Al Hasan in the thirteenth over, while Tiwary fell on forty-one in the next over.
KKR was 96 for six and facing certain death when Debradata Das fell out of the game in the fifteenth over. However, Yusuf Pathan’s run-a-ball 21 and rearguard efforts from Rajat Bhatia and Narine helped KKR reach 140 for seven, providing a platform for the bowlers to operate on.
MI, in response, made care to hold onto its wickets despite the slow pace of the scoring. Herschelle Gibson’s 24-stay, which gained him just 13 runs, was halted by Iqbal Abdulla on the last PowerPlay after he had exercised it to almost perfect condition.
With Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik batting in the middle, Mumbai appeared to be in control until Narine caught the Master Blaster in front with the team on 60 in the eleventh over.
Read More: Orange Cap IPL 24 After SRH Beat RR: Riyan Parag Moves into Top 4
