Kolkata Knight Riders had their nightmare prolonged against Mumbai Indians as they failed to chase down 31 off 30 balls to lose by 10 runs in an IPL 2021 match.
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How does one team lose a game when they need 31 off 30 balls in a Twenty20 match? How can a team squander an advantage in dramatic circumstances? Just ask Kolkata Knight Riders. In a situation which was tailor-made to end their nightmare against Mumbai Indians, they choked in spectacular fashion in their second IPL 2021 match. They panicked against a Mumbai Indians side that needs only a slight toe-hold to grab the advantage. That footing was given first by Rahul Chahar who took four wickets. It was then built upon by Krunal Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in the death.
When Nitish Rana and Shakib Al Hasan fell in quick succession, Kolkata Knight Riders still had the buffer of Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. However, the ploy to be ultra-cautious against Bumrah only played into the hands of the Mumbai Indians. In the quest to attack the other bowlers, Kolkata Knight Riders fell flat on their face. Perhaps, in their determination to put one over the Mumbai Indians, they made the basic mistakes.
? Not the ideal result, but we take our positives and keep moving forward ➡️ @NitishRana_27 @Russell12A @patcummins30 @RealShubmanGill #KKRvMI #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/w0uBWNfGj1
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 14, 2021
No team has hurt Kolkata Knight Riders as badly as Mumbai Indians. The overall head-to-head now reads 22-6 in 28 games and there is one more encounter between these sides left in the IPL 2021. Consider this stat. Kolkata Knight Riders will have to win two games in every edition for the next eight years to catch up with the Mumbai Indians. That is the abyss that they have sunk into. The baggage of history also played a part in the loss.
In the past, dropping Russell would mean disaster for the opposition. In the game against Mumbai Indians, Russell was dropped twice. Yet, he could not capitalise. Chahar had taken four wickets in which he sent back the dangerous Nitish Rana for 57. However, when Shakib Al Hasan fell, there was panic. Kolkata Knight Riders were caught between attack and defence. This resulted in misjudgments.
In both the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders innings, the final five overs were not good. Mumbai Indians scored 27 runs but lost five wickets. Kolkata Knight Riders managed only 20 runs. Softer the ball towards the end, harder it was for the new batsman to come and start swinging. Russell, who had come the second bowler to take a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians, admitted that it was hard for the new player to get set.
In the IPL, Mumbai Indians won the first five encounters against Kolkata Knight Riders before suffering a loss. In 2011, Kolkata Knight Riders’ wait for a second win would be prolonged after they failed to defend 21 runs in the final over bowled by L Balaji. James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu ensured Mumbai Indians would continue to hurt KKR.
In the last 13 encounters, Mumbai Indians have won 12. The only loss since 2015 came in 2019 when they won by 34 runs in Eden Gardens. Rohit Sharma’s only century has come against Kolkata Knight Riders. Talk about domination.
One meme at the end of the day stated that Mumbai Indians’ two points against Kolkata Knight Riders in this IPL 2021 game is a greater love story than Twilight. This loss in Chennai will leave Kolkata Knight Riders scarred for many years. In the case of contests with Mumbai Indians, any generation of Kolkata Knight Riders players and fans will be scarred for a long time.
