Kolkata Knight Riders emerged victorious over Mumbai Indians by 24 runs in a dramatic low-scoring encounter.
While KKR's batsmen initially faltered on a challenging Wankhede pitch, mustering only 169 runs, their bowlers rose to the occasion, securing a crucial win.
MI bowlers started brightly, reducing KKR to a precarious 43/4 and later 57/5. However, a crucial 83 run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey revived the KKR innings, leaving MI with a daunting chase.
Despite a strong showing by Jasprit Bumrah at the death, MI's batting unit failed to live up to the challenge.
Their batters were susceptible to spin and surrendered their wickets to careless strokes.
So many amazing bowling performances on Friday night, let's look at the best spells...
Nuwan Thushara
The fresh Wankhede wicket lived up to its reputation of being a two-paced beast. Deliveries occasionally kicked up or held low, causing confusion for the KKR batting line-up. Often, batters rushed into their shots without properly gauging the pitch's behaviour, leading to their downfall.
Spearheading the Mumbai attack was Nuwan Thushara, who emerged as KKR's tormentor-in-chief. His slingy action, reminiscent of the legendary Lasith Malinga, earned him the apt nickname 'Podi Malinga' (Little Malinga). Thushara's 3/42 ripped through KKR's top order, exposing their vulnerabilities.
Within the crucial Powerplay, Thushara's deliveries accounted for the dismissals of Phil Salt (4), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (13) and KKR Skipper Shreyas Iyer (6). Salt could only manage a top edge off a short ball while Raghuvanshi's chip found a fielder at extra cover. Iyer holed out to Tim David, leaving KKR reeling at 3 wickets down within the first 3 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah
Despite Mumbai's overall struggles, Jasprit Bumrah remained their shining light. He once again proved to be the ultimate game-changer, delivering a masterclass in fast bowling that left KKR reeling. His 3/18 in just 3.5 overs solidified his status as a bowling maestro.
Bumrah's lethal spell began with surgical precision, dismantling KKR's tail. In the 18th over, he conceded a mere two runs while snatching two crucial wickets, squeezing the life out of the KKR chase. He first deceived Ramandeep Singh with a delivery that ended up in Gerald Coetzee's hands. Then, he unleashed a devastating yorker to clean up Mitchell Starc.
This set the stage for the final over, where Bumrah delivered another unplayable yorker, shattering Venkatesh Iyer's stumps and extinguishing KKR's hopes of a big score.
Despite Mumbai's slim play-off chances, this outstanding performance ensured Bumrah retained the coveted purple cap, highlighting his reputation as one of the finest bowlers in the IPL.
Hardik Pandya
Despite leaking 44 runs in his four overs, MI Skipper Hardik Pandya snagged two crucial wickets, halting the momentum of dangerous batters Sunil Narine and the well-settled Manish Pandey.
Just when Sunil Narine looked ready to begin another assault, smashing a six off Pandya, he fell victim to a sharp incoming delivery that sent his leg-stump flying.
Pandya returned later in the innings to dismiss the well-set Manish Pandey for a composed 42 runs off 31 balls in the 16th over. To top it off, Pandya also played a crucial role in the run-out of the explosive Andre Russell.
Russell, who provided a flicker of hope for KKR with a booming six on arrival, succumbed to a communication lapse with Venkatesh Iyer.
Mitchell Starc
Despite a rocky start to the IPL, Mitchell Starc, the league's most expensive player, finally lived up to his billing with a stellar performance. His exceptional bowling figures of 4/33 were instrumental in securing a crucial victory for KKR.
Starc's impact was evident from the outset. He started with a crucial breakthrough, bowling Ishan Kishan who had just launched a six off the previous delivery. This early wicket set the tone for his dominance.
Utilising the pitch conditions to his advantage, Starc turned the tide in the crucial 17th over. He conceded a mere three runs, squeezing the life out of the MI chase and leaving them needing a daunting 43 runs off the last 18 balls.
Starc's brilliance continued unabated in the penultimate over. In a devastating five ball spell, he rattled MI's batting order, claiming three quick wickets and restricting them to 145 all out -- well short of the 170-run target.
Tim David, who briefly threatened with a six, became Starc's victim along with Piyush Chawla, leaving MI in tatters at 8 wickets down.
The icing on the cake came with a breathtaking yorker that shattered Gerald Coetzee's stumps in the 19th over. This dismissal sealed the victory for KKR and completed Starc's four wicket haul.
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy proved to be a thorn in the side of the MI middle order, picking up two crucial wickets and conceding a mere 22 runs in his four overs while maintaining an exceptional economy rate of 5.50.
He got off to a flying start, dismissing Naman Dhir with a brilliant first ball of his spell. Dhir's attempt to counterattack was immediately shut down by Chakravarthy's ploy.
Maintaining the pressure, Varun spun a web with his variations, troubling the MI batters. This eventually led to the downfall of Tilak Varma, who misjudged a wide delivery and surrendered his wicket.
Sunil Narine
MI's hopes took a hit when their impact substitute, Rohit Sharma, fell victim to Sunil Narine for the eighth time in the tournament. An ill-timed pull shot in the sixth over ended Sharma's brief stay, leaving the onus on the rest of the MI batters.
Narine's economical spell, conceding just 5.5 runs per over, put immense pressure on MI as the required run rate started to climb. He capped off his performance with the wicket of MI's last match hero Nehal Wadhera, finishing with 2/22 in four overs.
Andre Russell
Andre Russell claimed Suryakumar Yadav's vital wicket and finishing his spell with 2/30.
SKY's dismissal in the 16th over proved to be the turning point in the match.
Despite a shaky start, MI still held a fighting chance as long as SKY was at the crease. Riding on his well-made 56, they needed just 51 runs off the last five overs. However, Russell extinguished their hopes with a cunning delivery.
Presented with a knee-high full toss, a scoring opportunity, Suryakumar mistimed his shot, finding only the top edge. Wicket-keeper Phil Salt gleefully claimed the catch, silencing the roaring Wankhede crowd.
Russell's impactful dismissal not only halted Suryakumar's valiant fight but also swung the momentum decisively in KKR's favour.
The momentum continued to swing in KKR's favour as Hardik Pandya fell for just one run to Russell, leaving MI teetering at six wickets down.
KKR Vs MI: Who Bowled Best?
