Despite the rain interruptions, the T20 spectacle lived up to its hype with both teams showcasing their batting prowess. KKR, asked to bat first, posted a competitive total of 157/7 in 20 overs, thanks to a solid knock of 42 from Venkatesh Iyer. Nitish Rana and Andre Russell also contributed with crucial cameos, scoring 33 and 24, respectively.
MI’s chase got off to a promising start with Ishan Kishan anchoring the innings with a 40-run knock. However, Varun Chakaravarthy’s economical spell of 2/18 kept the pressure on MI, who were ultimately restricted to 139/8.
The match reached its climax in the final over, with MI needing 19 runs to win. Harshit Rana, entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the final over, rose to the occasion, claiming two crucial wickets of Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma to seal a memorable victory for KKR.
Andre Russell also played a pivotal role in KKR’s triumph, scalping the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Tim David to put MI on the backfoot. The win propelled KKR to the top of the points table, securing their spot in the playoffs and making them the first team to qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
