IPL 2026: KKR beat MI by four wickets to stay alive as playoff race heads into final round

Kolkata Knight Riders kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a hard-fought four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in a rain-interrupted clash at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the KKR players quickly put Mumbai under pressure. MI’s batting line-up again struggled in poor condition and slumped to 41/4 in the over after early wickets from Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav.Captain Hardik Pandya tried to rebuild the innings with a cautious 26 while Tilak Varma added 20. The duo put together a slow but important partnership of 43 runs off 49 balls to steady Mumbai after the collapse.However, it was all-rounder Corbin Bosch who gave MI a fighting total with a quick unbeaten 32 off just 18 deliveries. His late cameo helped Mumbai reach 147/8 in their 20 overs.KKR’s bowling efforts were split evenly with Saurabh Dubey, Cameron Green and Kartik Tyagi taking two wickets each while veteran spinner Sunil Narine kept it tight in the middle overs.Chasing 148, Kolkata lost a few wickets early but veteran batsman Manish Pandey played a composed knock of 45 to anchor the innings. He got strong support from Rovman Powell, who smashed 40 during a crucial 64-run partnership that swung the game firmly in KKR’s favour.Despite some late wickets, KKR overcame the target in 18.5 overs with Rinku Singh hitting the winning runs to seal an important victory.Short Score:MI: 147 for 8 in 20 overs (Corbin Bosch 32 not out, Hardik Pandya 26, Tilak Varma 20; Saurabh Dubey 2/34, Cameron Green 2/23)KKR: 148 for 6 in 18.5 overs (Manish Pandey 45, Rovman Powell 40; Corbin Bosch 3/30).