'We haven't played enough good cricket': Hardik Pandya

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday secured their berth in the IPL playoffs with an 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians. The match, initially delayed due to rain, was reduced to a 16-overs-per-side contest. Opting to bat first in the rain-affected clash, KKR posted a competitive total of 157 for 7, propelled by Venkatesh Iyer's explosive 42 off just 21 deliveries.
In response, Mumbai Indians, led by

Hardik Pandya

, could only muster 139 for eight.

Despite a rapid start from Ishan Kishan, who contributed a brisk 40 off 22 balls, Mumbai Indians struggled to counter the spin duo of Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17) and Sunil Narine (1/21) during the middle overs.

Tilak Varma's aggressive 32 off 17 balls provided some impetus, but it wasn't enough to steer his team to victory.

Reflecting on the loss, Mumbai Indians skipper Pandya conceded that his team hadn't performed up to their potential throughout the season.

"Tough one. As a batting unit, the foundation was there but we could not capitalise and that cost us. The wicket was tacky, so momentum was important but after that we couldn't capitalise. Their score was par, given the conditions I thought the bowlers did well. When the balls returned from the boundary, it hit the cover and was wet. They did well. It seemed par but was a winning total," Pandya said at the post match presentation.

"Just want to go and enjoy, play good cricket. That's been the motto from the start but we haven't played enough good cricket," he said.
Mumbai Indians became the first team to be eliminated from

IPL 2024

contention.

During the match, Venkatesh Iyer spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders' batting attack with a blistering 42 off 21 balls, complemented by valuable contributions from Rinku Singh (20 off 12 balls) and Andre Russell (24 off 14 balls), guiding KKR past the 150-run milestone. Nitish Rana also chipped in with a sturdy 33 off 23 balls.

In the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah stood out for MI, concluding his spell with figures of 2/39 in four overs. Meanwhile, veteran spinner Piyush Chawla also made an impact by claiming two wickets while conceding 28 runs in his three overs.