KKR vs MI: Manish Pandey’s classic at Eden keeps Kolkata in the playoffs

Results in brief: Kolkata Knight Riders (148/6 in 18.5 overs) beat Mumbai Indians (147/8 in 20 overs) by four wickets. KKR vs MI: Highlights | Scorecard

Manish Pandey rolled back the years to master the chase for Kolkata Knight Riders as they remained in the hunt for a play-off spot in IPL 2026. Pandey’s 45 off 33 balls saw KKR beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets after a disciplined performance with the ball early on.

KKR put MI into bat and it was an all-round effort from the bowlers and fielders that ensured the visitors were restricted to 147 runs in the first innings. While Kolkata got off to a shaky start on a tricky Eden pitch, Pandey and Rovman Powell’s 64 runs off 47 balls ensured the home team got over the finish line to 13 points.

For MI, it was their ninth loss in a terrible campaign that will raise questions about the mood in the Mumbai camp at this point.

PANDEYJI SHOT OUT IN STYLE

Pandey has cult hero status in KKR folklore as he was part of their core for a good period of the Gautam Gambhir era in the franchise. During that time, he was often the man to get the chase and on the tricky track in Kolkata, and he did just that. He is not playing any other form of cricket outside the IPL at the moment as he is out of the Karnataka side, but it doesn’t show any signs on the field.

While his batting mantra might look like a Nokia 5800 Express music phone in front of big hits that are like your iPhone 17s of the modern era. But on a rainy day in Eden, it was just what was needed.

KKR’s innings got off to an ideal start as Finn Allen got going in the first five balls. He hit two boundaries and ensured 10 was out first but was a bit greedy as he went for another big shot and then cut on his off stump. Deepak Chahar had had enough bring out an imaginary celebration of the note.

KKR lost Angkrish Raghuvanshi to injury in the first innings, which meant he was ruled out. This meant that Manish Pandey got to bat at No.3. KKR fans will fondly remember the man from Karnataka who played blind during the 2014 IPL final and won them the title.

But that was a good 12 years ago and the questions were always about him doing something similar or anchoring the innings at safety.

He and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the ship with a 38-run stand that included Pandey taking on Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar and hitting them for boundaries.

But it was Corbin Bosch who seemed to be the man who had all the luck in Kolkata when he dismissed Rahane in his first match. Soon after, he dismissed Cameron Green with a wayward delivery that was caught on the shorter boundary.

Bosch’s bowling unfortunately got some stick, Rovman Powell hit it for a six and a boundary. Luck then turned to Powell, who skied into the sky and landed in the middle of Chahar and Robin Minz.

And that was the moment when Pandey took the onus to chase away the chase. He got two boundaries from Hardik to give the run impetus.

Then both Pandey and Powell bowled Raghu Sharma in the 13th over to get the required run-rate under six. The next one was lined by Bumrah and that was when the MI pacer was able to dismiss Pandey for the first time in the IPL.

What followed was a surprise move from Bosch to release Powell as MI felt they were in competition. But Rinku and Tejasvi Singh, who came on as a concussion substitute in the end for Raghuvanshi, got them closer. Despite Tejasvi’s wicket, KKR eventually held their nerve, thanks to Rinko and the fact that he made it with the landmark.

They now need to beat Delhi Capitals and hope the rest of the results go their way to make it to the playoffs.

AM I DIFFERENT WHEN HARDIK PLAYS?

“Definitely, there’s definitely a problem there. The mood on the team was definitely lighter. The team suddenly looks more unified overall.”

These were the words of Kris Srikkanth right after MI managed to beat PBKS in Dharamsala.

It looked like MI played with a different kind of energy that day, something that was not seen during the opening phase of the tournament.

The bat seemed to have more energy, the bowling seemed sharper and the intensity on the field was high.

However, the moment Hardik came into the side, it looked like the team was hit with a factory reset.

They were put into bat and the MI captain said the aim was not just to play for pride but to win. But the start was far from ideal for the visitors at Eden Gardens.

They lost Ryan Rickleton and Naman Dhir in the third over from Cameron Green. The next over featured Rohit Sharma, who dazzled in Kolkata right from the start with some stunning shots.

While KKR’s season hasn’t always gone well, one thing they have excelled in is catching and the appointment of Dishant Yagnik is to be commended. He made Kolkata the best catching side in IPL 2026 and the proof was in Green’s catch of Rohit.

The Aussie all-rounder ran a good 30 meters before taking the catch, much to the delight of Yagnik.

Suryakumar tried to counter KKR’s momentum and was successful for a while before Saurabh Dubey managed to get him to play on the stumps. The rain break meant it was time for MI to regroup, but the break didn’t change much in the way they played.

That’s when Sunil Narine came into play and made the MI batsmen dance to his tunes. Both Hardik and Tilak Varma looked to pick out the West Indian spinner as he ensured Kolkata had more of a grip on the contest.

Tilak was given an extra life due to a mix-up between Raghuvanshi and Varun Chakravarthy but failed to capitalize as Kartik Tyagi dismissed him soon after.

Narine ended Hardik’s struggle at the crease with a sharp delivery that cleaned up the MI skipper for 26 off 27 balls. Will Jacks also took a big hit, but Bosch left him trapped, thanks to a terrible mix-up.

Bosch managed to redeem himself with 32 off 18 balls and eventually powered MI to 147. But the lack of energy with Hardik in the team looked a little more evident. Yes, you could say the pitch was two stroke and had a lot for the pitcher. But the way the MI batters chose to be calm really begs the question whether they are happy playing under Hardik.

There were moments when it was just him trying to smash everything in the middle while Tilak was dismissed for 20 off 32 balls. With the ball, the energy of the night in Dharamsala seemed gone, replaced by drooping shoulders and a lack of plans.

The season is over and MI have one more match in the form of RR. But before IPL 2027, he has to answer some big questions.

– The end

Published on:

21 May 2026 0:24 IST