Mitchell Starc was only used for one over but Kolkata Knight Riders still comfortably saw off Mumbai to seal an Indian Premier League playoff place
Match Report:
ScorecardStarc's KKR first to qualify for IPL playoffs
Mitchell Starc only bowled one over in the rain-shortened Indian Premier League contest at Eden Gardens on Saturday as his side comfortably became the first team to seal a playoff place in this season's edition.
KKR's 157 from their 16 overs proved too much for the underwhelming Mumbai Indians, who fell 18 runs short in the chase.
Joy at the Eden Gardens for the @KKRiders 💜
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 11, 2024
The @ShreyasIyer15-led side enter the #TATAIPL 2024 Playoffs with a clinical win 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/4BkBwLMkq0#KKRvMI pic.twitter.com/fyQ1yUtFm4
Then with pace needed to close out the match, captain Shreyas Iyer preferred to entust the ball to Harshit Rana (2-34 off three) rather than Starc.
Still, Starc did contribute in the field, his one-bounce throw to wicketkeeper Phil Salt from the long off boundary effecting the run-out of Nehal Wadhera when things were getting desperate for Mumbai.
Andre Russell (also 2-34) dismissed Tim David, Mumbai's last hope, for a three-ball duck as the five-times champions, again under-performing, capitulated to 8-139, giving KKR the 18-run win which ensures Starc is the first Australian to book his place in this year's knockout stage.
Sunrisers Hyderbad's Pat Cummins and Travis Head, Delhi Capitals' Jake Fraser-McGurk and David Warner, and Lucknow Super Giants' Marcus Stoinis are still in the thick of the hunt to join him in the four-team shoot-out.
Better still for KKR, who top the league on 18 points after a fourth win on the bounce, their net run-rate is so good that they now look odds-on to finish in the top two which would mean they may need just one match to reach the final.
After a near two-hour rain delay, Kolkata, put in to bat, made a terrible start when in-form openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine were quickly dismissed with just 10 on the board.
Jasprit Bumrah, brilliant all season, bowled Narine for a golden duck as he took 2-39 off his four overs, but Venkatesh Iyer was KKR's mainstay, smacking a two-a-ball 42, with six fours and two sixes, and sharing a 37-run partnership with Nitish Rana (33).
IPL 2024 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
KKR
|
14 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1.428 | 0 | 20 |
|
2
SUN
|
14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.414 | 0 | 17 |
|
3
RAJ
|
14 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.273 | 0 | 17 |
|
4
RCB
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.459 | 0 | 14 |
|
5
CSK
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.392 | 0 | 14 |
|
6
DEL
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -0.377 | 0 | 14 |
|
7
LSG
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | -0.667 | 0 | 14 |
|
8
GUT
|
14 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -1.063 | 0 | 12 |
|
9
KXI
|
14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | -0.353 | 0 | 10 |
|
10
MI
|
14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -0.318 | 0 | 8 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
Australians in IPL 2024
Delhi Capitals: Mitch Marsh (A$1.2m), David Warner (A$1.16m), Jhye Richardson (A$890,000), Jake Fraser-McGurk (A$92,000)
Gujarat Titans: Spencer Johnson (A$1.78m), Matthew Wade (A$446,000)
Kolkata Knight Riders: Mitchell Starc (A$4.43m)
Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis (A$1.7m), Ashton Turner (A$178,000)
Mumbai Indians: Tim David (A$1.53m)
Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis (A$135,000)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Cameron Green (A$3.15m), Glenn Maxwell (A$2m)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (A$3.67m), Travis Head (A$1.2m)
*Prices in AUD, conversions correct at time of auction