NEW DELHI: Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the spin duo of Kolkata Knight Riders, disrupted Mumbai Indians' momentum after a promising start, securing an 18-run victory in a rain-shortened IPL clash on Saturday.
With this win, KKR solidified their playoffs position with two matches remaining, leading the 10-team standings with 18 points. This marks the first time since 2021 that KKR has advanced to the playoffs.
Looking ahead, KKR aims to secure a top-two finish, facing Gujarat Titans on Monday and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 19 in their final league encounters.
Following their triumph over Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders celebrated their playoffs berth with a lap of honor at the iconic Eden Gardens.
During the lap, KKR players were seen distributing tennis balls autographed by KKR mentor
Gautam Gambhir
, using tennis racquets for the giveaway.
WATCH:
Venkatesh Iyer shone with a quickfire 42 off 21 deliveries before a resilient MI bowling effort limited KKR to 157/7 in a 16-overs-a-side match, delayed by an hour and thirty minutes.
In response, Mumbai Indians, already out of playoff contention, managed 139/8 in their 16 overs.
With this loss, Mumbai Indians suffered their ninth defeat in 13 matches and will conclude their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on May 17.
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