Kolkata Knight Riders are all but through to the playoffs as their NRR is superior to Mumbai Indians and most likely will face RCB in the Eliminator.
After missing out on the playoffs in the last couple of seasons due to NRR, it was fitting that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) advance to the playoffs on the basis of NRR if Mumbai Indians beat Sunrisers Hyderabad. The defending champions will need almost a miracle as they need to beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 171 runs, if they bat second, they are out of the tournament.
KKR's 86-run win skyrocketed their NRR to +0.587, which is far ahead of MI's -0.048 and their bowlers, their batters all came to the party to beat the Rajasthan Royals.
Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers were up to the task even though they were assisted by the pitch as well as some rash shots from the Rajasthan Royals. The procession of wickets started in the first over itself as Shakib Al Hasan and it didn't stop throughout the innings.
Shivam Mavi, in the next over, got Sanju Samson to hit straight to the mid-wicket fielder and RR were in tatters early in their inning chasing the highest total, yet at the Sharjah Stadium in IPL 2021. A couple of overs later, the returning Lockie Ferguson turned up the heat taking two wickets in one over to seal the match then and there only.
Ferguson dismissed Liam Livingstone and Anuj Rawat in the fifth over of the innings as RR were reduced to 13/4.
Shivam Dube and Glenn Phillips taped the leaking tap for a little while but Mavi ripped the tape off by removing Phillips, after which it was just a formality. Rahul Tewatia did play some shots to delay the inevitable but his 44-run knock wasn't enough, which too was ended by Mavi, who registered his best figures of 4/21 in the IPL.
KKR have now won five out of the seven games in the UAE leg of the IPL 2021 and have completely shifted their momentum, form and mindset and hence have reaped rewards for the same. KKR's win, however, meant that it was almost the end of the road for the Mumbai Indians as the fans of the defending champions had a meltdown on Twitter, while many praised KKR's resurgence. Here are some of the reactions:
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