KKR face must-win test; MI out to spoil party
Their campaign hanging by a thread, Kolkata Knight Riders will have no option but to go all out against an already-eliminated Mumbai Indians in a crucial IPL match here on Wednesday.
A defeat will officially end KKR’s playoff hopes for the second successive season under Ajinkya Rahane after their disappointing eighth-place finish in 2025, a year after lifting the title under Shreyas Iyer.
Even a win, however, may not be enough for the Rahane-led side as KKR’s fate will still depend on Punjab Kings’ away match against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
If Punjab win that game, KKR’s final league fixture against Delhi Capitals here on Sunday will become a dead rubber.
As things stand, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already sealed playoff berths, while Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians are out of contention.
That leaves five teams — Punjab Kings (13 points), Rajasthan Royals (12), Chennai Super Kings (12), Delhi Capitals (12) and Kolkata Knight Riders (11) — battling for the lone remaining playoff spot.
Among them, only Rajasthan Royals and KKR have two matches left.
Rajasthan have the simplest equation — win both remaining games against LSG and MI to finish on 16 points and seal qualification.
KKR, on the other hand, not only need to win both their matches but also hope Punjab stumble against LSG, as Punjab can still finish on 15 points with a significantly superior net run rate.
In hindsight, KKR would rue their poor start to the season. The Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise has now won five of its last six matches, but the turnaround came too late after a disastrous opening stretch of six-match winless run.
It took captain Rahane and coach Abhishek Nayar nearly seven games to settle on a winning combination, something marquee overseas signing Cameron Green also admitted after their victory over in-form Gujarat Titans in the previous match here.
“I think it just took us a while, maybe a bit too long, to figure out the right roles and get the right people in the right positions,” Green had said.
Since registering their first win against Rajasthan Royals, KKR have looked a transformed side.
Finn Allen has rediscovered his form at the top, smashing a century and a blistering 35-ball 93 in his last three innings, while young keeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Green have grown in confidence with every game.
Rahane has been the only weak link at the top, but vice-captain Rinku Singh has lived up to his finishing role in the middle order.
Green, who became one of the costliest overseas buys at `25.20 crore in the auction, has also contributed with the ball, while veteran spinner Sunil Narine continues to remain KKR’s trusted match-winner.
KKR, however, have injury concerns over Matheesha Pathirana and Varun Chakravarthy.
The India star spinner played the previous match despite a hairline fracture in his left leg, something that reportedly has not gone down well with the BCCI.
For KKR, this phase could also shape their plans for the future.
While Green and Raghuvanshi have emerged as major positives, questions remain over whether the Rahane-Nayar captain-coach combination will continue beyond this season, especially after Rinku was appointed vice-captain at the start of the campaign.
MI look to spoil KKR’s hopes: For Mumbai Indians, the focus will be on ending a disappointing season on a positive note and potentially spoiling KKR’s playoff push.
The five-time champions are set to welcome back skipper Hardik Pandya, who missed the last three matches due to injury but trained at full intensity on Monday.
Hardik has endured an underwhelming season, scoring 146 runs from eight innings at an average of 20.85 while taking only four wickets at an economy rate of nearly 11.90.
It has been a forgettable campaign for MI, who have used three captains this season, with Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah also leading the side in Hardik’s absence.
The biggest setback for MI has been the poor form of their India stars. Suryakumar has managed only 195 runs from 11 innings without a single fifty, while veteran Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma have lacked consistency.
Bumrah, too, has had little support despite leading the pace attack.
