KKR vs MI highlights, IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs

That was unexpected. Naman Dhir smacked a couple of sixes against Russell. Those were top-class shots considering the way he kept his bat hanging low and made Yorkers low full tosses. As we update Harshit Rana takes the final over. 

The over was good until Nehal Wadhera was run out of the final ball. Tilak smacked 15 off the over before that. This game is not over yet for Mumbai but it is difficult for them to get all of these only with Tilak scoring the boundaries he does need help from other end. 

Vinayakk: Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was known for his quips during interviews. One of his often-repeated phrases was "we played with a little bit of a handbrake on". Rohit Sharma's struggles at Eden Gardens could be perfectly summed up with that. Already struggling for form in recent weeks, the India captain endured a forgettable night at one of his favourite venues. In a match where MI needed to score at nearly 10 per over, Rohit scored a painful (once quite literally as he copped a blow on his hands) 24-ball 19 before being dismissed by Sunil Narine. And that too with the help of a free hit full toss that he hit for six. For some reason, Rohit kept trying to play the reverse sweep before eventually falling off the conventional sweep. Season might be over for Mumbai Indians fans, but concerns persist for Indian fans.

Chakravarthy got to bowl the fourth over and he picked Mumbai skipper Hardik who from ball one looked to slog. This is an excellent fightback from Kolkata Knight Riders after starting the defense slowly. As we update Andre Russell has picked Tim David. 

Andre Russell came up with a plan to bowl his first over and it bore fruits. He made Suryakumar Yadav hit the smaller part of the ground but bowled away from the bat and had the fielder placed exactly for that shot the plan worked and MI's talisman walked back.

The momentum has been swung back by the KKR spinners significantly however, the challenge for them now can pace maintain the pressure that has been created by the spinners. Iyer also has the option of Andre Russell who is a handy bowler.

A lot of responsibility on Surya and Tilak once again right now as it has been many times this season before. The game is right in the balance at this point. MI must find a way to get on top of KKR spinners here. 

Another one bites the dust. Rohit who has struggled right from the word go has been eventually put out of his misery by Varun. The batter tried a reverse lap which went high in the air for fine leg to take a simple catch. KKR are making a comeback into this game. 

Ishan Kishan once again tried to be too clever against Sunil Narine however, the off-spinner had the last laugh. The batter tried to whack him over mid-wicket but was caught at cow corner. The ball is gripping a bit here which is tightening things for KKR.

Chakravarthy has been brought into the attack and he bowled a good over. The ball was turning and gripping a bit for him. There was a close call when the ball hit Rohit's pads which on-field umpire did not give it out however, it was wicket's missing on ball tracking. 

Sunil Narine came into bowl the final over of the Powerplay and he did take a bit of pasting against Ishan Kishan. He first played a switch hit and messed up with Narine. The off-spinner followed it up with a short one which Kishan smacked for another six.

Harshit Rana came into attack and Ishan Kishan had the measure of the bowler. This is turning into an excellent start for MI. Despite the swing on offer KKR fast bowlers were unable to maximise the conditions with the new ball here. 

That was a bad over from Vaibhav. He asked for a sawdust as he felt his feet were sweeping however, he slipped in a ball that landed outside the pitch and was no ball and followed up the free-hit with a full toss which Rohit smacked for a six. Mumbai has started the chase well here. 

Mitchell Starc has taken the new ball despite the swing on offer he struggled with his lines today. He sprayed the ball all over the pitch and paid the price. KKR also need to be wary of Mumbai openers as once they get themselves in they have taken the game away quickly. 

Vaibhav Arora has taken the new ball for Kolkata Knight Riders and there has been a moment. This will be tricky for Mumbai Indians as well because KKR has bowlers who can make full use of this new ball when it is moving a touch. 

Ramandeep has the hit final ball for six which has taken the score to 157 which at this point is hard to say if enough or not. A lot will depend on how Kolkata's new ball bowlers start the innings. If they get some swing and pick a couple of wickets the Mumbai batting has been vulnerable this season. 

This has been good from Mumbai. The last few overs have gone according to plan for them. The death bowlers are nailing their yorkers and in the middle of that, they are bowling some smart variations. This total will be hard to defend for KKR in the second innings. 

Hardik Pandya has brought himself into the attack to finish off the quota of the fifth bowler and bowled a good over. The key for Mumbai tonight has been they have been able to chip away with wickets throughout the game which has restricted KKR in making a score.

Well, Piyush Chawla bowled a bumper at 117 KPH and Russell hurried up by the pace and hit the ball on the leg side but it went high in the air and the cow-corner fielder took an excellent catch. KKR is falling apart here at the moment they might just fall short of the total which they can defend.

Rana survived early in the over a close LBW call which was given on-field however, he decided to send it upstairs and the ball was pitching outside. However, off the last ball, he tried to sneak a single, and Tilak Varma with his excellent throw got rid of the batter.

This is turning into an excellent spell from Piyush Chawla. He is using his experience and all the varitions he can bowl to perfection. It might not be a bad ploy for Hardik Pandya to use one more spinner for an over just to see how the pitch responds to him. 

With the way conditions are at the moment KKR would be hoping to get around 180-mark at least. Given the power-hitters MI have in their batting line-up will it be enough is something hard to predict? But things will get better for batting. 

The game has been going at a million miles per hour at the moment. The wickets are falling and boundaries too are coming quickly. Andre Russell has walked into the middle don't expect the fast and furious nature of innings to slow down any time soon. 

Both Rana and Iyer are looking in good ominous touch. They are playing some monstrous shots into the stands. We are yet to see spin from MI being introduced. With wicket seaming around it might grip a bit as well. As we update Piyush picks Venkatesh Iyer

This is good from Venkatesh Iyer. Despite the wickets falling he is playing sumptuous shots in the middle. He is getting the boundaries away every over which is keeping KKR run rate par. However, the conditions will turn better for batting as the evening progresses which they need to be wary of. 

Vinayakk: Sunil Narine's success with the bat is perhaps the story of IPL 2024. He has been known to damage bowling attacks in the past, with his brand of madness at the top. But the consistency this season has been utterly incredible. It hasn't just been agricultural swinging of the bat, hit and hope for the best that we have sometimes seen from him. There's been a method behind the madness. An identification of areas where he can target, clean timing... but all that deserted him for a microsecond. And sometimes, a microsecond of misjudgement is all that takes against a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah. The MI pacer, bowling the second over with a brand new ball, angled the ball across Narine. It was full, and had it remained on its trajectory, it was likely headed into the gloves of Ishan Kishan. But Bumrah got it to swerve back in late, and Narine had already made up his mind that he didn't want anything to do with it. Boom, timber. And out came the familiar Bumrah smile, with the arms spread wide.

Another fruitful over for MI. Kamboj bowled a delivery on the off-stump which swung back a touch and hit the leg-stump of Shreyas Iyer. The ball here is seaming around nicely. The Mumbai pacers are taking the advantage of bowling first here. 

Vinayakk: April 14. That was the last time Shreyas Iyer won a toss at IPL 2024. The run extended to seven straight lost tosses on Saturday as Hardik Pandya called heads correctly at the Eden Gardens. It is another matter that KKR have played good enough cricket to win four out of these six matches leading up to the one against MI. But Shreyas couldn't really hide his amusement once again, also conceding that if there was ever a toss to be won, then it would have been tonight. The KKR captain was forthright in admitting that he would have loved to bowl first here, given the pitch had been under covers for a long time, and the match was delayed further till 9pm. The uncertainty over the conditions meant any team would have loved to chase. Shreyas has also said he has been practising but hey, luck of the coin is not something one can work on in the nets now, can they?

We have a slight delay here. As Shreyas Iyer dabbed one to point to steal a single the fielder threw it to the striker's end which hit Venkatesh Iyer and he seemed to be in pain. The physio has rushed to have a look at the player. 

Kamboj has been brought into the attack and he too started well. This has been a good start for Mumbai Indians so far. KKR is playing their regular way of hitting the boundaries but the problem is they have lost a couple of wickets early in the piece. 

Bumrah bowled a full one which Narine left and the ball swung at the last moment to hit the off-stump. The batter looked bamboozled as the off-stump flew. Both openers have departed now for KKR. Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer have walked into the middle. 

Thushara has taken the new ball for Mumbai and it had a bit of everything. Salt smacked the first ball for a six however, the bowler came back later in the over to pick Salt. Venkatesh Iyer has walked in and played a lovely shot to get off the mark. 

Rohit Sharma, Shams Mulani, Shivalik Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Kumar Kartikeya

Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi

Ishan Kishan(w), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya(c), Tim David, Anshul Kamboj, Piyush Chawla, Jasprit Bumrah, Nuwan Thushara

Philip Salt(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

I tried it another time (toss), still it came down as heads (smiles at his record on losing tosses). It's part and parcel but it such games it's crucial. Not going to take those excuses though. We want the Q next to our team. Nitish comes in for Angkrish.

We are going to bowl. Just want to see how the pitch behaves. It has been under covers for two days. We all are aware of the stats, but you got to turn up and play good cricket on the day. Same team.

"This is pitch no.5, the last game played on it was on the 23rd March against SRH. 67m and 62m boundaries, 75m down the ground. The spinners might quite like it. It’s been under covers for so long so the spinners might get some purchase. If the pacers get it slightly wrong, it’ll disappear. It’s very cool here at Kolkata so it might swing around a bit" says Danny Morrison.

Toss at 9 pm, 16-over game, match starts at 9.15

Rishabh Pant, captain of the Delhi Capitals, has been fined and suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct, the league announced in a press release on Saturday. The suspension means Rishabh Pant will miss the IPL match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday.

The heavy rap on the knuckles for Pant came because his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 56 of the Indian Premier League 2024 against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on May 07. (Read more)

England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the team’s first Test of the home summer against West Indies at Lord’s, starting July 10.

Announcing his decision on an Instagram post, Anderson said: “Just a note to say that the first Test of the summer at Lord’s will be my last Test. (Read more)

A four-day gap instead of three between Ranji Trophy games to help players manage workload better with the tournament to be played in two phases to reduce weather-related disruptions because of fog during the winter in north India.

Elimination of the toss with the visiting team given the choice to either bat or bowl in the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy and awarding of points based on number of runs scored and wickets taken. If the points-system experiment in the age-group competition is a success, the same will be implemented in Ranji Trophy from the 2025-26 season to give an incentive to teams to go for outright wins. (Read more from Devendra Pandey)

SYNOPSIS: Defending champions Chennai Super Kings’ play-offs hopes take a big hit as they go down to Gujarat Titans by 35 runs.

Luck runs out

At a venue where they pulled off a major heist to become champions last year, Chennai Super Kings’ hopes of defending their title suffered a huge blow. The defeat means they will now have to win both their remaining matches and depend on other results to go their way. That they have less than a 48-hour turnaround before they face Rajasthan Royals at home on Sunday afternoon, means the road ahead is all the more challenging. In all likelihood, given how short on confidence and thin on bowling, the fixture against Rajasthan could well be Dhoni’s last home fixture. (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)

The covers are coming off. And we get our first glimpse of the green grass underneath them

Screengrab via JioCinema

"We need to have better technology to get the water out of the ground once it stops raining, rather than people with brooms," chuckles Brett Lee on JioCinema as we see visuals of groundmen frantically pushing the water on the covers of the Eden Gardens ground away from the centre.

IPL match today: Openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine have been in booming form, helping the team get off to amazing starts for imposing totals later on. The middle order, spearheaded by the indefatigable Shreyas Iyer, has then built on the work of the openers. Their bowling attack, led by Varun Chakaravarthy and Mitchell Starc, has also been potent, with Mitch Starc coming ot the party a little late.

The groundsmen are on the field and are slowly removing the covers. The rain had ceased but it's fairly windy

Greame Smith suggests that if the game starts after the rain delay today, teams like Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders should consider resting players like Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah because the conditions are tricky and there is a chance of them picking up injuries. As he points out, both teams don't have too much riding on the result of this match. "Mumbai Indians cannot qualify. And KKR are almost there," he says.

Rest of the IPL 2024 schedule

May 12: Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals 

May 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals

May 13: Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders

May 14: Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow Super Giants 

May 15: Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings

May 16: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans

May 17: Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants

May 18: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings

May 19: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings

May 19: Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Less than a couple weeks after he went rogue and lashed his critics for delving into his strike rate, Virat Kohli on Thursday faced the camera to make the point that he was working “to keep the strike rate up.” This, after having breezed to 92 off just 47 deliveries.

“I am certainly not a guy who wants to sit around saying this is the way I play and not improve on things I need to,” Kohli stated in one of his typical longish post-match chats. Taking more risks was put on the agenda, especially against the spinners. It’s been a particular weakness of his. In T20s, Kohli’s strike rate drops when he’s facing spinners (124.99) as opposed to the pacers (139.88). His discomforts against the turning ball had come at large over the past year and his defence of it had been a recurring feature of last month’s live broadcast outburst. Last night though, he accepted the flaw and opened up on a solution—a particular shot he has shied away from for much of his career. (Read more from Rahul Pandey)

Pat Cummins isn’t the kind of Aussie that India has grown up watching and grudgingly appreciated. He isn’t quite like the late Shane Warne. The confrontation and controversy seeker, the ‘play hard, party harder’ believer, the true celebrity cricketer – Warne was the Aussie. Cummins, though, is doing at Sun Risers Hyderabad (SRH) what Warne did at Rajasthan Royals in the opening season.

Warne once said that he scripted the fairytale 2008 win with “good people who we trusted under pressure.” Cummins too seems to have found those men. With just two more league games to go, SRH is third on the table. But going by their present form, they are most likely to make it to the playoffs. Beyond that, going by the monstrous batting totals they have been compiling, SRH has built a reputation of beating any opposition on their day. And this IPL, they have had too many of those days. (Read more from Sandeep Dwivedi)

The IPL match today between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians is under the shadow of rains.

Photographs of the Eden Gardens venue, clicked by The Indian Express‘ correspondent in Kolkata at 5 pm on Saturday evening, two hours before the match was supposed to start, showed a bleak scene: the ground being fully covered and the floodlights glaring. (Read more)

Toss delayed due to rain in Kolkata 

And the drizzle has gotten a bit heavier and the toss will be delayed

The match can start latest by 10.36 pm which can be a 5-over game. We'll start losing overs if the match does not start at 78.30 pm. Update on the match time. Toss will have to take place by 10.36 pm for a 5-over game. Match can start around 10.40-10.50 pm reports Sayak Dutta from Eden

Hardik Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians ended on a very sour note after the 5-time champions were the first team to be eliminated from the Play-off race after Sunrisers’ Hyderabad’s demolition job against the Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday.

Due to SRH’s 10-wicket win over LSG, Mumbai, who are 9th in the table, having played 12 matches and losing 8 while winning 4, had their slim hope of a next round spot extinguished.

Sitting at the top of the 10-team standings with eight wins from 11 matches, another win will guarantee them the playoff berth as the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise will look to end on a high, its campaign at the home venue. Meanwhile, MI, who are languishing at the bottom of the points table will be looking to salvage some pride after a terrible season.