IPL 2026: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, Match 65 - Who Said What?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) registered a four-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, May 20.

Opting to bowl first, KKR got two wickets in the third over, which was bowled by Cameron Green. Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir were the batters who departed.

Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed by the young Saurabh Dubey, who was playing only his third game in the IPL. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya tried to resurrect the ship, but they couldn't up the ante. On a pitch where the ball was gripping and turning, the KKR bowlers, led by Sunil Narine, capitalised.

Corbin Bosch played a wonderful knock at the back end of the innings, smashing 32* off 18 balls, which helped the tourists finish on 147/8 in 20 overs.

In reply, KKR had to bid farewell to their in-form opener Finn Allen in the first over, with Deepak Chahar drawing first blood. However, Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey used their experience to take the team towards the target.

After Rahane was dismissed for 21, Green departed cheaply. However, KKR bounced back with a game-changing 64-run partnership off 47 balls between Pandey and Rovman Powell.

MI got some wickets late in the innings, but it was too little too late for them. KKR won the match by four wickets and seven balls to spare.

Talking Points:

Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell show importance of experience

Manish Pandey finally got a chance to bat after waiting for four matches. He batted at No. 3 and scored 45 off 33 balls, hitting six fours on a tricky surface for batters. Rovman Powell also played a brilliant knock, scoring 40 off 30 balls. He belted four fours and two sixes. Their 64-run stand off 47 balls put KKR in a position of strength.

Saurabh Dubey is one for the future

Saurabh Dubey bowled brilliantly with the new ball. In the fourth over, he dismissed the legendary Rohit Sharma. In his next over, he took the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav, who was looking in sublime touch. The left-arm seamer finished with figures of 2/34 in his four-over spell.

Corbin Bosch impresses with all-round exploits

Corbin Bosch played his heart out on Wednesday. On a difficult batting surface, he took the KKR bowlers to the cleaners, hitting three fours and two sixes en route to an 18-ball 32 not out. With the ball, he bagged three wickets in as many overs. Bosch also took a fantastic catch to dismiss Powell.

Who said what?

Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians (Losing Captain)

(Where you about 20 runs short?) Yeah, I mean, quite entertaining. Definitely as a batting group, we were 20 short. I think we lost a lot of wickets in powerplay, but if Tilak and I would have stayed longer, and we had stitched a couple of more partnerships and got those 15-20 runs, I think we would have had a decent chance. (What was the pitch like?) I mean, to be very honest, I don't mind playing on this sort of wickets where bowlers have something to do. I think IPL is becoming quite batting-dominated. Bowlers are feeling helpless. I think today's game kind of gave bowlers something as well from the wicket, which kind of makes them come and bowl some good balls, make batsmen play some good cricket and score runs. So, I kind of enjoyed it. (What was going on in the field?) I don't know. I think throughout the season, we've been quite poor in fielding. I think we have dropped a lot of catches, which obviously no one wants to do it. But in that part of the game, I think there is no hiding away. I mean if you get chances, if you want to win games, you need to grab all the chances, even half chances as well. But yeah, when you drop chances which can change the game, it's always you are chasing the game. (You would want to finish the season on a good note?) Yeah, absolutely. So, it's an ESA game. It's for the children. We just want to make sure that we come and get smile on those 25,000 kids and let them come and watch us play, and we entertain them, make them happy. I think it will be a lifetime memories for them.

Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders (Winning Captain)

I think the belief which we had after six matches, you know, we had a couple of good discussions amongst everyone, frank discussions. We were playing some good cricket, but this format is about, you know, winning those crucial moments. And after that game, when we went to that break, that win was really important. That changed the mood for us and then everyone started believing. Belief was already there, but I thought the credit goes to all the support staff. The atmosphere is really difficult when you lose six games and then going into the break, it's really challenging, but no credit to everyone. We kept nice and positive atmosphere. Preparation has been fantastic. So yeah, that's the reason. I mean, when he started bowling, we saw, you know, we wanted Roman Powell to get in and what impact he had made, when Cameron Green started bowling. So that was really important for us. I was really happy with Varun and Sunny bowling together, but I just want to mention a few names. Anukul Roy, Karthik Thyagi, taking that responsibility, you know, carrying that performance from the domestic season, that confidence and getting it here, bowling under pressure each and every time and contribution has been amazing. Really happy for Manish Pandey. I mean, his work ethics, his attitude when he was not playing, it was fantastic. It's really tough as a player when you're not playing a game and coming day in, day out, keep working hard on your batting, on your fielding, that attitude, team mindset, that's what is really important. And I mean, tonight's knock, I'm really happy for Manish Pandey. In fact, each and every team member is really happy for Manish Pandey. We just want to take one game at a time. We'll get to know MI is playing before us against Rajasthan Royals. But again, what has worked for us in the last six, seven games is just staying in the moment, giving our best and winning those crucial moments. And yeah, be in the moment.

Manish Pandey, Player of the Match

(You have been a talisman for KKR, being there in 2014 and 2024) Yeah, maybe that's the reason why I'm still here. It definitely feels really great. KKR has been really nice and kind to me, obviously. And coming back to the start of the season, this was the only game I've actually batted, so I've been padded up and waiting to bat, but didn't get the opportunity in the first four games. But I think this was a special one, wanted to stay there and hopefully make our team win, and that's what happened. And a couple of partnerships in the middle with Rovman and a couple of guys. Hopefully, we do it again and win this game. (Was there a shot that stood out?) I think a couple of fours that I got. They were off the length of Deepak and Bumrah. So I think that was really nice. And I thought I was batting well, so I wanted to stay there and continue batting well. (Tell us how it is for a person of your seniority if you're not getting a game to stay motivated) Even more important for me that if I'm not getting to play, that I definitely want to be a part of this whole team. And whoever wants to ask me anything, I want to help around. So I think that's what I've done the whole series. It's an amazing bunch of lads, the youngsters and the older guys here, a great camaraderie. And that's why we are finding ourselves in a situation where we're coming back really strong and hoping to finish the last game really well and hope we try to squeeze in the top four. (Tell us about that work ethic when it comes to fielding - is it just natural athleticism? Are you working constantly?) Yeah, I think we probably end up batting for one hour, also spend about 45 minutes on fielding every day relentlessly. Doesn't matter if it's raining or it's a sunny day. So I think because I don't bowl, I enjoy fielding and I want to contribute, even from a single saving point of view to taking brilliant catches and run outs. So that's been my forte and I like to contribute that way and I want all the cricket ball to come to me when I'm fielding. So it gives me a great pride to be able to add value to the team in any sense I can. And that's what keeps me going.