In a rain-affected match, Kolkata Knight Riders secured their spot in the IPL playoffs with an 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians. The match, reduced to 16 overs per side due to a delayed start, saw KKR batting first and posting a total of 157 for 7.

Venkatesh Iyer leads with his performance

Venkatesh Iyer led the charge with a quickfire 42 off 21 balls, well-supported by Rinku Singh and Andre Russell’s useful contributions. Nitish Rana also chipped in with a handy 33 runs. However, MI’s Jasprit Bumrah and Piyush Chawla managed to restrict KKR to under 160, with Bumrah finishing with figures of 2/39.

KKR defeat MI with their brilliant performance in both innings

In response, Mumbai Indians got off to a solid start with Ishan Kishan’s aggressive 40 off 22 balls. However, KKR’s spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine applied the brakes in the middle overs. Despite Tilak Varma’s quickfire 32, MI fell short, finishing at 139 for 8 in their allotted 16 overs.

See Also: Rohit Sharma faces harsh criticism for his sluggish knock against KKR

Chakaravarthy and Narine took crucial wickets for KKR, while Andre Russell also made a significant contribution with the ball. Harshit, KKR’s bowler, wrapped up the innings with two wickets in the final over, sealing the victory for his team and confirming their place in the playoffs.