Kolkata Knight Riders defeat Mumbai Indian at Wankhede Stadium after 12 years! © iplt20.com
The 51st match of IPL 2024 was an exciting cricket game with lots of twists and turns! The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won by 24 runs against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium. Let’s break down the key moments of this amazing match.
KKR Almost Lose Their Start
Mumbai Indians won the coin toss and decided to field first. This was a good decision at first because they could quickly get rid of KKR’s opening batters. KKR also lost their big player, Shreyas Iyer, early on. With only 51 runs on the board and 4 batters already out, KKR needed to look better.
Super Sub Pandey Saves the Day for KKR!
This was when the new IPL rule, the “Impact Player,” came in really handy for KKR. They brought in the experienced Manish Pandey as their Impact Player. Pandey played very carefully and scored 42 runs in 31 balls. He also made a very important partnership with Venkatesh Iyer, who scored 70 runs in 52 balls. Together, these two batsmen scored many runs and helped KKR get to a much better total.
MI Spinners Not So Magical This Time
MI’s fast bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah (who got 3 wickets for only 18 runs!), did well at the beginning. But then, something strange happened. MI’s spinners, who are usually very good, couldn’t stop KKR from scoring this time. The spinners Piyush Chawla and Rahul Chahar couldn’t get many wickets.
KKR Spinners Take Over the Match!
The story completely changed when it was MI’s turn to bat. KKR’s spin bowlers, Varun Chakaravarthy (2 wickets for 22 runs) and Sunil Narine (2 wickets for 22 runs) did a fantastic job! They bowled very slowly and kept MI batters from scoring many runs. They also got important wickets early on, including the big wickets of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma.
Suryakumar Yadav Tries His Best, But It’s Not Enough
Only one batsman from MI, Suryakumar Yadav, could bat well. He scored a quick 56 runs in just 35 balls. But sadly, no other MI batsmen could score many runs along with him. Tim David tried to score quickly at the end with his 20 runs in 20 balls, but it was too late for MI by then.
Mitchell Starc Bowls Fast and Wins the Match for KKR!
Mitchell Starc, KKR’s fast bowler, bowled quickly and swung the ball a lot. That was too much for MI batters to handle. Starc got 4 wickets in just 3.5 overs and gave away only 33 runs! He even got the wicket of the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav. Starc’s brilliant bowling in the last few overs won the match for KKR.
Two Different Sides to the Same Match!
This match was like two different games! KKR almost lost everything at the beginning, but then Pandey and Iyer saved them. MI’s batting also started poorly, but Suryakumar Yadav nearly won them the match. In the end, KKR’s exceptional spin bowling and Starc’s fast bowling helped them win the match by 24 runs. This win helps KKR stay in the top half of the points table, while MI needs to figure out how to bat better if they want to be in the playoffs.
Match Summary
Kolkata Knight Riders 169/10 (19.5) | |
| Venkatesh Iyer 70 (52) | Jasprit Bumrah |
| Manish Pandey 42 (31) | Nuwan Thushara |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi 13 (6) | Hardik Pandya |
Mumbai Indians 145/10 (18.5) | |
| Suryakumar Yadav 56 (35) | Mitchell Starc |
| Tim David 24 (20) | Varun Chakaravarthy |
| Ishan Kishan 13 (7) | Sunil Narine |
Toss: MI won the toss and decided to bowl
Stadium: Wankhede Stadium
Result: KKR won by 24 runs
Player of the Match: Venkatesh Iyer (KKR) – 70 (52)
