Mitchell Starc signals a comeback with a four-wicket haul as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians after 12 years at Wankhede with 24 remaining runs in hand.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat the Mumbai Indians by 24 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. It was their first win against the hosts at this stadium since 2012. This win has greatly improved KKR’s chances of earning a playoff spot. On the other hand, Mumbai’s chances of making the playoffs seem to be decreasing as they have only won three of their last eleven games.
With 169 runs in the board, the Kolkata Knight Riders put up a decent score, thanks to Venkatesh Iyer’s energetic 70-run knock that included six fours and three sixes. The Mumbai Indians had a tough start as starter Ishan Kishan was bowled by Mitchell Starc early in the game. Starc later showed he was back to form by getting three important wickets in the last over, even though he started that over with a six.
Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir both fell quickly, putting Mumbai’s top batting order under a lot of pressure. At the end of the powerplay, they were only 41 for 3. It was a short combination between Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, but they couldn’t turn their start into a meaningful inning because Sunil Narine’s spin and KKR’s sharp defence got them sailing their wickets.
The Mumbai crowd erupted with chants and hope after Suryakumar Yadav unleashed his batting prowess, smashing an impressive 20 runs off Vaibhav Arora’s third over sensing a potential comeback in the late stages of the game. But that did not lasted for long, Starc’s strategic deployment of the yorkers in the last over effectively crushed any hopes of Mumbai’s comeback.
Starc’s turn-around performance, in which he dismissed Coetzee and then ended Mumbai’s innings to secure the win for his team, showed how precise KKR‘s bowling was even after putting a decent score in the board. The Mumbai Indians’ loss not only hampers their chances of making it to the the playoffs, but also raises questions about their ability to handle pressure situations in crucial games in the on-going season.
As the season goes on, KKR looks like they will make a strong run for the playoffs. They are full of confidence after beating one of their toughest opponents at the Wankhede after a long wait of 12 years. And it will be thus interesting to watch this Gambhir era going on as the Knights look ahead to the playoffs of the 2024 Indian Premier League.
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