Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 29 (ANI): The three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a commanding batting performance against Mumbai Indians (MI), posting a formidable total of 220/4 after being put in to bat first in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Led by a scintillating half-century from captain Ajinkya Rahane and crucial contributions from Finn Allen and Rinku Singh, KKR dominated proceedings with an aggressive approach, setting up a challenging target despite a three-wicket haul by Shardul Thakur.
After being asked to bat first, the three-time champions, Knight Riders, were off to a fantastic start as they reached 31/0 after the first three overs.
During the fourth over, captain Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen combined to hammer 25 runs against all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the Knight Riders crossed the 50-run mark. 25 runs is also the joint-second most that Hardik Pandya conceded in an over in IPL, after he conceded 26 runs against CSK in 2024 at Wankhede.
During the sixth over, Mumbai got the much-needed breakthrough as speedster Shardul Thakur dismissed dangerous Finn Allen for 17-ball 37, including six fours and two sixes. After the end of the first power play, the Knight Riders scored 78/1.
During the seventh over, captain Rahane and Cameron Green combined to hammer 16 runs against leg-spinner Mayank Markande. Thakur got the second wicket after he took the prized wicket of Camerom Green during the fifth ball of the ninth over. The right-handed batter departed after scoring 18 off 10 balls, with two boundaries.
Rahane reached his fifty in just 27 deliveries as the three-time champions reached 120/2 after the end of 10 overs.
During the third ball of the 14th over, Shardul Thakur got his third wicket. The right-arm pacer got the important wicket of captain Rahane, who played a fantastic knock of 67 off 40 deliveries, including three fours and five towering sixes.
In the very next over, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh then combined to slam 17 runs against Ghazanfar as KKR scored 167/3 after the end of 15 overs.
Mumbai failed to stop the runs flow as Raghuvanshi and Rinku then took the Knight Riders’ total to 191/3 after the end of the 17th over.
After the end of the 18th over, the Knight Riders reached a commanding position of 199/3 as Raghuvanshi and Rinku stitched a 50-run stand between themselves.
In the very next over, all-rounder Pandya removed dangerous Raghuvanshi for 51 off 29 balls, with six fours and two sixes as the Knight Riders scored 209/4.
In the end, KKR posted a challenging total of 220/4 with Rinku Singh staying unbeaten on 33 off 21 balls, with four fours. For the five-time champions, Mumbai, Shardul (3/39) picked up a three-wicket haul. (ANI)
