December 23, 2024
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MI vs KKR

‘Mumbai Indians' baffling decisions gave KKR the upper hand: Shane Watson slams Hardik Pandya's captaincy

‘Mumbai Indians’ baffling decisions gave KKR the upper hand: Shane Watson slams Hardik Pandya’s captaincy

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Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time in 12 years on Friday. Despite the lopsided 9-1 head-to-head record at the venue in favour of the hosts, KKR were the firm favourites going into the encounter on current form. KKR and MI sat on opposite ends of the IPL 2024 points table before the match started and it remained the same after the match ended. But in between, there was a lot of drama. It wasn’t as it was as the 24-run victory may seem like. In fact, for the better part of the KKR innings, it seemed like MI would maintain their spotless track record by returning to winning ways against the Purple army. Kolkata Knight Riders’ players celebrate after their team’s win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match vs Mumbai Indians(AFP) KKR were 57/5 at one stage, really struggling to come to terms with the unusually slow Wankhede Pitch. That is when the KKR think tank used the Impact Player rule to the maximum effect. Manish Pandey came in place of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who had already been dismissed. The experienced right-hander, playing in his first game of the season, stitched an all-important 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Venkatesh Iyer to bring the KKR innings back on track. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Pandey was dismissed for 42 off 31 balls, but Iyer made sure KKR were poised to cross the 180-run mark quite comfortably. But they suffered another collapse when things were looking all uphill for the two-time champions. Andre Russell was run out due to a horrible mixup with Iyer and KKR folded for 169 in 19.5 overs. Iyer scored 70 off 52 balls. But the position that KKR were in, 169, was not bad by any means. In fact, it proved to be 24 runs too many for MI as the hosts were bowled out for 145 in 18.5 overs. Former Australian cricketer asserted that the Knight Riders had no right to win the match after losing the first five wickets so early in the clash against the five-time champion MI. Watson said he was baffled by some of MI’s tactics. Watson bowled over by KKR’s remarkable comeback against MI “KKR had no right to win that game tonight after the position they were in five wickets down. It just shows the fight that they have and also just some of the things that happened. Some of the decisions that were made whether that was bowling changes or batting lineup deployment, some of those decisions were very baffling just to really give KKR the upper hand in a game that was just on a knife’s edge at certain times,” Watson said on Jio Cinema. The 42-year-old further stated that this victory will give the Shreyas Iyer-led side a lot of confidence. “Look that will give KKR so much confidence to know that they don’t have to be at their very best and be in a position where the game was nearly done and they’ve got the fight and determination to find their way to actually get on the right side of the result,” the two-time IPL champion added. Mitchell Starc made a terrific comeback in the tournament returning with a figure of 4-33 in just 3.5 spells, handing KKR a 24-run victory. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine both finished with identical figures of 2/22, including some big wickets in the first half of the chase which put KKR on top in the match. Following the win, KKR stand in second place on IPL 2024 standings with 14 points. Meanwhile, MI hold ninth place with 6 points by their name. KKR will next take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.

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Rohit Sharma's hug to young Rinku Singh wins hearts following KKR's victory - WATCH | Cricket News

Rohit Sharma’s hug to young Rinku Singh wins hearts following KKR’s victory – WATCH | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: Venkatesh Iyer’s impressive half-century outshone a similar effort from Suryakumar Yadav, as Mitchell Starc’s four-wicket haul helped Kolkata Knight Riders defeat Mumbai Indians by 24 runs in a low-scoring IPL 2024 match. This victory marked KKR’s first win at the Wankhede Stadium since 2012 and their second ever at the iconic venue.In a match that was largely dictated by bowlers, Iyer saved KKR from a challenging 57/5 with his gritty 70 off 52 balls, guiding them to a modest total of 169. In response, Starc’s four-wicket burst, coupled with the two wickets each from KKR’s spin duo Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, secured a historic win for the two-time champions. Following the game, Mumbai Indians’ star batsman Rohit Sharma was seen giving a hug to KKR’s batting sensation Rinku Singh. Though Rinku did not make India’s main 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, he has been named as a reserve player. India’s T20 World Cup journey kicks off against Ireland on June 5 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.Mumbai Indians’ social media account shared a video capturing the moment of Rohit’s embrace after the match. Despite his impressive record of 356 runs at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24 in T20Is for India, Rinku’s exclusion has sparked significant debate since the Indian team’s announcement and has created a stir on social media.

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Gautam Gambhir's tweet after KKR beat MI at Wankhede is all about pain, fighting spirit and redemption

Gautam Gambhir’s tweet after KKR beat MI at Wankhede is all about pain, fighting spirit and redemption

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Mitchell Starc let out a roar after knocking down Gerarld Coetzee’s middle stump. It was his third wicket of the over and the fourth of the night overall for the Australian quick but more importantly, it was the last of the Mumbai Indians’ team. Kolkata Knight Riders had finally managed to beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium after 12 long years. No team have a better head-to-head record in the IPL than MI over KKR. You could see what it meant to KKR. Mentor Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar were embracing and shouting in each other’s ears. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan embraces the team mentor Gautam Gambhir(ANI) It was just different emotions. KKR have been one of the teams to beat in this IPL and MI have been just the opposite. But KKR vs MI is one encounter that doesn’t follow form and reputation. It’s just one-way traffic in favour of the five-time champions. That’s why this victory tasted way sweeter for the men in purple. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Starc is in his first season with KKR. Even their captain Shreyas Iyer, who was showing more emotions on the field on Friday than he usually does, has been around the team for three years. They must have heard about MI’s domination of KKR but didn’t quite experience it. For Gambhir, though, it’s different. He was the last KKR captain to beat MI at Wankhede in 2012. The only other KKR member who was part of the team in both of those wins, 12 years apart, is Sunil Narine. The West Indies all-rounder was in fact Player of the Match for his 4/15 in the 2012 match at Wanhede against MI. He once again made a useful contribution with the ball, picking up 2/22 in his four overs. He is not known to be too emotive, so judging the magnitude of KKR’s victory on Friday by looking at Narine’s expressions might not be the best of ideas, but looking at Gambhir sure is. After his emotional embrace with Nayar in the dugout, the KKR mentor was all smiles during the post-match handshakes. The former India opener did not take much longer to let his emotions flow on social media. “Turning the tide after 12 yrs at Wankhede! Beautifully done boys!” he wrote on X. If KKR batters were guilty of not working out their game plan on the go in the first half to be bowled out for just 169 with Venkatesh Iyer contributing 70, Mumbai Indians’ underperforming batters stood no chance on a tricky wicket which demanded both application and patience. They were all-out for 145 in 18.5 overs and are practically out of the competition which has been a nightmare for Hardik Pandya. Despite Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant fifty, Mumbai Indians were shot out for 145 in 18.5 overs chasing 170, found wanting with the bat once again as Mitchell Starc (3.5-0-33-4) cleaned up the tail for KKR’s seventh win in 10 matches.

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Mitchell Starc defends his numbers after his best spell in IPL 2024 – India TV

Mitchell Starc defends his numbers after his best spell in IPL 2024 – India TV

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Image Source : BCCI/IPL Mitchell Starc during the MI vs KKR IPL 2024 post-match press conference at Wankhede Stadium on May 3, 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders produced an impressive all-round performance to end Mumbai Indians’ hopes to secure playoff qualification in the IPL 2024 on Friday. Venkatesh Iyer and Mitchell Starc emerged as heroes to help Kolkata further strengthen their second position in the points table with a 24-run win at Wankhede Stadium. Venkatesh Iyer claimed the Player of the Match award for his 70 runs off 52 balls innings but Starc stole the limelight with his late match-winning spell. The Australian pacer gave KKR a breakthrough with Ishan Kishan’s early wicket and then picked three wickets in the penultimate over to bowl out Mumbai on just 145. Starc’s four wickets for 33 figures significantly boosted his concerning numbers in the IPL 2024. Arriving at Eden Gardens with a record price stage of INR 24.75 crore, Starc managed to pick only two wickets in his first four innings but has made a stunning comeback with nine wickets in his last five innings. While answering media questions in the post-match presser, the 34-year-old left-arm pacer admitted that he wanted to impress from the beginning of the tournament but pointed out that he is not the only bowler struggling in the IPL.  “As T20 cricket doesn’t always go the way you want it to go, and of course, I wanted to go a bit better at the start,” Mitchell Starc said after Kolkata’s win over Mumbai on Friday. “But I am not the only bowler going for runs. It is what it is. The fact that we sit second [on the points table] and are building towards the more important games at the back end and are playing some good cricket, hopefully, I can be a part of it too.” Starc also shared his thoughts on the impact substitute rule and how it is not doing any favour to bowlers. Teams have already managed to post 250-plus totals on a record eight times this season and bowlers are getting criticized for their expensive spells.  “The Impact Player rule changes things a fair bit. Everyone gets to bat a lot deeper having a batting and a bowling XI. There’s a lot made of that rule throughout the tournament and there’s been a lot of high scores, which is the nature of the wickets and the grounds we play on here. When you have batters and batting allrounders come in at Nos. 8 or 9, it’s a long batting line-up,” Starc added. Starc has now picked 11 wickets in nine innings at an economy rate of 11.40 in the tournament and will next seen in action against Lucknow Super Ginats at Ekana Cricket Stadium on May 5.  

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Venkatesh Iyer asks Mitchell Starc where was he hiding Alyssa Healy after match-winning spell vs MI

Venkatesh Iyer asks Mitchell Starc where was he hiding Alyssa Healy after match-winning spell vs MI

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KKR and star Australia seamer Mitchell Starc had a phenomenal outing during Match 51 of the Indian Premier League 2024 against MI as he picked 4/33 in 3.5 overs. Notably, the 34-year-old’s spouse and Australian women’s team skipper Alyssa Healy was also present at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as Starc picked three wickets in his last over to set up a 24-run victory for KKR. Following the match-winning spell by the most expensive player in the history of the league, Starc’s KKR teammate Venkatesh Iyer hilariously asked him where he had been hiding his lady luck all this while. The speedster replied that Healy had been at home since she had been on the road for a long time due to international commitments. “Mitch very well bowled but I have to ask you where were you hiding Alyssa Healy till now,” asked Iyer in the post-match chat posted by IPL. “She’s been at home because she’s been on the road for a while so now she’s here but she stayed till the end so hopefully that’s a good sign,” Starc replied. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Further speaking ahead, the left-arm seamer spoke about his plans in the finishing over where he got the prized scalp of Tim David (24 off 20) which sealed the win for his side. “I was watching a little bit of video and talking a few people and trying to change a few things. I haven’t felt like it’s been going wrong. Nice to get a few in the right areas tonight with a bit of rhythm and close out the game which is nice. The last over, obviously Timmy (Tim David) got hold of that first ball and then just tried to stay step ahead trying to get those wide yorkers in there and missed on the fuller side. I think its equal, the spinners in the middle is a fantastic spell of overs there. They just really strangled the innings in the middle and really made it a lot easy for us at the back end,” he added. In the nine matches played in the season so far, Mitchell Starc has picked 11 wickets at an average of 33 and an economy of 11.40 with best figures of 4/33. Earlier, he also registered match-winning figures of 2/25 vs DC and 3/28 vs LSG. Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: May 4, 2024

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Why did Rohit Sharma play as Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders? Piyush Chawla reveals reason – India TV

Why did Rohit Sharma play as Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders? Piyush Chawla reveals reason – India TV

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Image Source : PTI Rohit Sharma alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan. Rohit Sharma’s absence from Mumbai Indians’ playing XI in the 51st game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 17 raised many eyebrows and opened up room for speculation. The absence of “The Hitman” left many fans bemused as Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on their home turf (Wankhede Stadium) in Mumbai. However, the anxiety of fans came to a pleasant end as the former Mumbai Indians skipper made his way to the wicket alongside his opening partner Ishan Kishan to get the chase underway for the hosts. Though Rohit didn’t last long and got out to Sunil Narine while attempting a pull, his arrival at the crease brought assurance to the hearts of the apprehensive fans. Mumbai lost the clash by 24 runs but are still alive in the race to the playoffs, barely though. With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fast approaching, Team India can’t afford to lose Rohit to injury and hence the apprehension of fans is understandable. However, Mumbai’s veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla revealed that there are no major concerns with Rohit’s fitness and his inclusion in the game as an Impact Sub was just a precautionary measure. “Rohit had a mild back stiffness. So, just as a precaution he was brought in as an Impact Player,” Chawla revealed during the post-match presentation Chawla’s statement has allayed the fears of the Indian cricket fans who want to see Rohit lead the team from the front at ICC’s marquee tournament. The winners of the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have been placed in Group A alongside the co-hosts USA, arch-rivals Pakistan, Canada and Ireland. India begin their campaign against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 5.  

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Mild back stiffness forced Rohit Sharma to play as impact sub in MI-KKR clash

Mild back stiffness forced Rohit Sharma to play as impact sub in MI-KKR clash

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KKR’s Coach Gautam Gambhir and MI’s Rohit Sharma during the practice session ahead of IPL game between KKR and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI India captain and Mumbai Indians opener Rohit Sharma was forced to play as an impact sub in the IPL clash against Kolkata Knight Riders due to a “mild back stiffness”, said leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. Playing as an impact sub, Rohit managed just 11 runs in 12 balls in the second innings during their 24-run loss against KKR, which has nearly put the five-time champions out of the IPL this year. “He just had a mild back stiffness so it was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told the media after the match here at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai’s defeat was their eighth in 11 matches, essentially shutting the doors on the Hardik Pandya-led side and Chawla too conceded that it is only “pride” that they are left with to play for. “For the pride and the reputation, because sometimes when you enter on the field, you don’t think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify,” he said. “You have to play for your name and that’s what we are playing for,” he added. Chawla pointed MI’s inability to attain momentum at any stage in this IPL as the reason behind their poor performance. “You must have often heard about that T20 is all about momentum and just that we didn’t get that momentum going this season and it can happen to any team,” he said. “It’s not like it’s happening to us for the first time or any other team for the second time. It can happen to anyone and it’s just that that momentum was not our way.” The 35-year-old Chawla became IPL’s second leading wicket-taker when he went past Dwayne Bravo on Friday to take 184 wickets. “It has been a beautiful journey because IPL started 17 years back and at that time nobody gave that much preference to the spinners, but now if you see that in top few wicket takers in India, especially all the spinners, Ashwin, Yuzhi, myself (are there), so it’s a good feeling,” he said. Chawla also praised Manish Pandey for delivering in a pressure situation while playing his first game this season. Pandey (42) added 83 runs for the sixth wicket with Venkatesh Iyer (70) as KKR posted 169 allout in 19.5 overs. “It was a good partnership and credit has to go to them because they batted beautifully. Well, T20 is something in which experience plays a big role, (which is) what we saw today. “When Manish walked in, maybe if somebody walks in who must have played few games, he would have panicked that runs are not coming. “But he read the situation and the way he handled the situation because if you see in starting, he was hardly going at run a ball. But later on, he knew that he has to stand there with Venky.”

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Watch: As Mumbai Indians lose again under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, 'Rohit, Rohit' chants echo in Wankhede | Cricket News

Watch: As Mumbai Indians lose again under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, ‘Rohit, Rohit’ chants echo in Wankhede | Cricket News

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Hardik Pandya‘s captaincy was once again questioned after Mumbai Indians (MI) succumbed to their eighth defeat of IPL 2024, as the five-time champions failed to chase a below-par target of 170 on their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday.IPL 2024: Results | Points Table Frustratingly enduring one of their worst seasons, the MI fans at the Wankhede broke into loud chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit’ during the match, a video of which has gone viral on social media. KKR put up 169 on the board, thanks to a half-century by Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52 balls) and an equally crucial 31-ball 42 by Manish Pandey, despite MI having the visitors on the ropes at 57/5 in just the seventh over.WATCH VIDEO Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in IPL history, finally did justice to his price tag with match-winning figures of 4/33 as Mumbai folded up for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 56. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell took two wickets each.Former India pacer Irfan Pathan came down heavily on Hardik’s decisions as captain, especially when KKR had lost half their side inside the seventh over.“When you had KKR’s five wickets for just 57 runs, there was no need to give Naman Dhir three overs in a row. You should have got your main bowlers on, but you had your sixth bowler deliver three overs. That allowed Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey to put a partnership together….Where you could have bowled KKR out for 150, they went on to make 170, and that turned out to be the difference,” said Irfan. “In cricket, captaincy has a huge effect and it’s very important to manage, which did not happen. Mumbai Indians isn’t looking like a team that is playing as a unit, and this aspect needs to be looked at going forward for Mumbai Indians. Players need to respect the captain and also accept him appreciably, this is very important. That, I think, could not be seen on the field,” he added.

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'Mumbai Indians ki kahani khatam': What went wrong for five-time IPL champions | Cricket News

‘Mumbai Indians ki kahani khatam’: What went wrong for five-time IPL champions | Cricket News

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Five-time champions Mumbai Indians are all but out of the race to IPL 2024 playoffs. Going through one of their worst seasons in IPL history, Hardik Pandya & Co. faced their eighth defeat in 11 matches, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by 24 runs on their home ground, Wankhede Stadium, on Friday.IPL STANDINGS: Points Table | Orange Cap | Purple Cap The defeat, which was MI’s first against KKR at the Wankhede in 12 years, once again brought Hardik ‘s captaincy in focus. “This was such a good team on paper but was not managed well. The questions that were being raised about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy were absolutely correct,” said former India pacer Irfan Pathan, analysing the game in a video on social media. KKR put up 169 on the board, thanks to a half-century by Venkatesh Iyer (70 off 52 balls) and an equally crucial 31-ball 42 by Manish Pandey, despite MI having the visitors on the ropes at 57/5 in just the seventh over.WATCH VIDEO “When you had KKR’s five wickets for just 57 runs, there was no need to give Naman Dhir three overs in a row. You should have got your main bowlers on, but you had your sixth bowler deliver three overs. That allowed Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey to put a partnership together….Where you could have bowled KKR out for 150, they went on to make 170, and that turned out to be the difference,” added Pathan, raising questions on captain Hardik’s decisions on the field. Mitchell Starc, the most expensive player in IPL history, finally did justice to his price tag with match-winning figures of 4/33 as Mumbai folded up for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 35-ball 56. Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell took two wickets each. “KKR now looks like a ‘khatarnak’ (dangerous) team after Mitchell Starc’s return to form. They had just one weak link in fast bowling, which was Mitchell Starc’s bowling. The way he bowled to Tim David must be appreciated,” analysed Irfan.The win took KKR to No. 2 on the points table with seven wins in 10 matches. Coming back to MI captaincy, which had changed hands from Rohit Sharma to Hardik before the start of this season, Irfan said MI is not playing as a unit under Hardik’s captaincy. “In cricket, captaincy has a huge effect and it’s very important to manage, which did not happen. Mumbai Indians isn’t looking like a team that is playing as a unit, and this aspect needs to be looked at going forward for Mumbai Indians. Players need to respect the captain and also accept him appreciably, this is very important. That, I think, could not be seen on the field,” the former cricketer cum commentator said. “Whatever the reason is, they have to think about it and improve.”

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IPL 2024, MI vs KKR: Hardik Pandya not ready to ‘leave the battlefield’ after crushing loss

IPL 2024, MI vs KKR: Hardik Pandya not ready to ‘leave the battlefield’ after crushing loss

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Hardik Pandya reflected on MI’s loss against KKR at the Wankhede Stadium on May 3, Friday. Hardik admitted that the team could not stitch any partnerships and kept on losing wickets, which resulted in their loss. KKR ended their 12-year jinx at the iconic venue with a terrific win by 24 runs. With the victory, Kolkata also consolidated their second position in the points table with 7 wins in 10 games. Meanwhile, MI slumped to their 8th loss of the season from 11 matches. While speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Hardik talked about MI’s defeat and what went wrong in the game. Amid MI’s poor run in the tournament, Hardik said that it would take time to answer the questions being posed to the team. However, he was happy with the way the MI bowlers bowled. “Obviously, we couldn’t form partnerships and kept losing wickets. There are a lot of questions that will take time to answer. But for now, not much to say. Bowlers did a fantastic job on this track,” Hardik said. IPL 2024, MI vs KKR: Match Report ‘Challenges make you better’ MI opted to bowl first and cashed in on the advantage by leaving KKR tottering at 57 for 5. N Thushara picked up 3 wickets and ran through KKR’s top-order. However, Venkatesh Iyer, with his 70-run knock, along with Manish Pandey led Kolkata’s recovery as they managed to put 169 runs on the board. IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule Hardik mentioned that the wicket got better in the 2nd innings, but the lack of partnerships led to their downfall in the chase. Hardik held his head high and remained determined to keep fighting, despite the tough challenges. “The wicket got better if I’m not wrong. Dew came in the second innings. Will go through the game and see what we can do better. You keep fighting, that is what I tell to myself, never leave the battlefield. Tough days come but good also come here. It’s challenging, but challenges make you better,” Hardik added. KKR bowlers were all over the MI batters as the hosts found themselves reduced to 71 for 6. Suryakumar Yadav played a counter-attacking innings of 56 runs from 35 balls. However, that did not prove to be enough as Mitchell Starc picked up 4 wickets for 33 runs to blow away MI’s lower order. Published By: Diya Kakkar Published On: May 4, 2024

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