MI VS KKR MATCH 51

Right then, this is it from Match number 51. With this win, Kolkata has cemented the second spot as they have 14 points now with seven wins. Next up is an exciting clash between the two teams languishing in the bottom three. Bengaluru hosts Gujarat at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Mathematically, Bengaluru needs to win all four remaining games to get close to the knockouts, and also, they can play a spoilsport in Gujarat's journey and would aim to double over them as well. That match will be played on Saturday, 4th May, and the first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But as you know, you can surely join us for the pre-match build-up. Till then, take care, cheers!

Venkatesh Iyer is the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock. He starts by saying that as a professional he needs to be flexible given the situation and had to play the anchor role and is happy that it came off. On Manish Pandey, he says that with the Impact Player rule, you can get an extra batter and it was crucial to use Manish at that point in time. Mentions that the wicket was two-paced and Manish was the one guiding him and which bowlers to take on and says that he thrives on being a smarter cricketer and held himself back a bit. Adds that he is a big fan of Dada (Saurav Ganguly) and took a few suggestions on his stance and is working on it.

Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Kolkata begins by saying that it was important for them. Says if they had lost it, they had to win two out of their remaining four and says they are really happy to win it. Adds that the Impact Player rule certainly helped them in this game and Manish Pandey who was waiting to perform for the team, did exactly what the team expected from him. Says he is a wonderful player and it was good to see him building a strong partnership with Venkatesh Iyer. Appreciates the spinners and says they were unreal and spot on with their lines and lengths and says they executed their plans to perfection. On being asked about Venkatesh Iyer, he says that he's been eagerly waiting to go out there and display his abilities. Ends up by saying he is happy for him.

Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

Varun Chakaravarthy is up for a flash interview. He says it's an amazing feeling to win against Mumbai at Wankhede after 12 long years. On being asked about Suryakumar Yadav taking the game away, he says it was just a matter of one wicket to get back into the game. States that there was a lot of dew but they controlled their lines and lengths well. Also adds that after the first innings, the batters said that the ball was stopping. On being asked about bowling in tandem with Sunil Narine, he appreciates him and says that he is a legendary player and he feels glad to bowl with him. Also appreciates Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer. Says they both batted well under pressure and notched a brilliant partnership.

Hardik Pandya, the captain of Mumbai says that obviously in the batting innings, they lost the game as they failed to build partnerships which proved costly. Adds that there are a lot of questions which will take time to answer but there's not much to say at the moment. Reckons that the bowlers did a fine job to restrict Kolkata under 170 and the wicket actually got a bit better with the dew coming in and they will try to get better. Mentions that you keep fighting and he keeps telling himself that good days and bad days are part of the game.

Earlier in the game, Mumbai got off to a great start thanks to Nuwan Thushara's three quick wickets in the Powerplay, really shaking up Kolkata's top order. Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer, and Raghuvanshi struggled to get going with the bat. Mumbai's spin duo, Naman Dhir and the experienced Piyush Chawla, then added to Kolkata's woes in the middle overs, with Chawla even dismissing Rinku Singh. However, Venkatesh Iyer and impact sub Manish Pandey came to Kolkata's rescue, forming a solid partnership and injecting some life into their innings with an 83-run stand. But once Pandey departed, Kolkata's scoring rate slowed down, and Jasprit Bumrah capitalized, neatly wrapping up the innings with three wickets to his name while keeping the runs in check. Coming to chase, Mumbai faced a dramatic collapse with the top order again failing to contribute. Suryakumar Yadav with his 56 brought back to life but eventually, after his fall, things just went downhill and Mumbai faced a humbling defeat in the end.

Kolkata might have thought their score wasn't all that intimidating, but when they got down to defending it, they really turned up the heat. Sure, Mitchell Starc started off a bit rough, but he came back strong, sending Ishan Kishan packing with a peach of a delivery. Then, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine joined the party, picking up a wicket each in the first six overs. That put Kolkata in a pretty sweet spot in the game. Chakravarthy caused quite a stir with a couple of key wickets and really clamped down on the flow of runs. Although at the halfway mark, Kolkata might have thought they were well in control but soon they went for runs in the next few overs which balanced the game equally. Andre Russell emerged as a guiding light for Kolkata, making a crucial breakthrough by dismissing SKY just when Mumbai's momentum was starting to build up. Then came Mitchell Starc, who was due for providing a match-winning performance, bowled the penultimate over and he just didn't let the opposition sneak a comeback by ending with a sensational 4-fer.

KOLKATA DEFEAT MUMBAI AFTER 12 LONG YEARS AT WANKHEDE IN AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER-COASTER AND REGISTER THEIR 7TH WIN OF THE SEASON! Mumbai kicked off their chase of 170 cautiously, with Ishan Kishan showing some promise. Unfortunately, both he and Naman Dhir couldn't hold their ground for long. And just when things seemed tough, Rohit Sharma's early exit left Mumbai struggling with three wickets down for less than 50 runs within the Powerplay. After Tilak Varma's dismissal, Mumbai seemed to hit a roadblock, with Suryakumar Yadav playing it safe to absorb the pressure. In the meantime, Hardik Pandya too perished yet again failing to make any impact with the bat. But once Yadav found his rhythm and with Tim David providing steady support, he shifted gears and started playing some aggressive shots, reaching his fifty in no time. This momentum shift brought Mumbai right back into the game, but the mood quickly changed when SKY got out at a crucial moment. And just within a span of a few minutes, Tim David got back to the hut after a crucial cameo of 24 and just couldn't sail his side home.

OUT! BOWLED'EM! That's it, Mitchell Starc has cleaned things up here for Kolkata and boy, he is pumped up. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Starc steams in and darts in the yorker right on the middle stump at well over 140 clicks. Gerald Coetzee backs away to open up the off side but there's just too much heat on the ball and it sneaks through to crash into the middle stump. Starc finishes with a four-fer and Kolkata win by 24 runs!

Mitchell Starc gets the perfect wide yorker in this time. Bowled at 140 clicks and right on the popping crease outside off, Jasprit Bumrah jams it down back past the stumps and scampers across for a single.

Jasprit Bumrah is the last man in for Mumbai.

OUT! CAUGHT! Two in two for Mitchell Starc and Kolkata on the cusp of a famous win here. Comes from around the stumps to the left-hander and just misses the yorker by a couple of inches. It is a low full toss, quite hard to get underneath and Piyush Chawla ends up chipping the ball straight to cover where Sunil Narine takes a comfortable catch.

Piyush Chawla is in at number 10.

OUT! CAUGHT! Wow, would you believe it? Not for the first time in the last two games that a full toss has brought a crucial wicket. Mitchell Starc steams in and misses his mark completely with the wide yorker and he serves a juicy full toss instead. Tim David hits it hard and flat and the ball pings off his bat but goes just to the right of long off where Shreyas Iyer takes a very sharp catch and the Mumbai dugout cannot believe it. Is that game over?

SIX! Just the start Mumbai wanted to the over! Fuller in length, angling it into the stumps, Tim David does well to shuffle across and whips it away over deep backward square leg for a maximum.

Mitchell Starc (3-0-26-1) to continue.