The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kept their qualification hopes for the IPL 2026 playoffs alive, as they beat the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match 65 of the marquee tournament on Wednesday, May 20, in a rain-affected contest at the iconic Eden Gardens. KKR managed to win by four wickets and seven balls to spare, chasing down the 148-run target set by Hardik Pandya's men in a do-or-die encounter. With one more league-stage game remaining for KKR, all they will need now is to ensure a win in the next game.
MI were asked to bat first and the start was as horrendous as it could get for the visiting team. The third over saw the fall of in-form batters Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir. Rohit Sharma followed suit and departed for a 13-ball 15. Suryakumar Yadav also made 15 off six, but what followed next was nothing less than a horror story in a T20 match. Tilak Varma (20 off 32) and Hardik (26 off 27) followed an ultra-defensive approach, scoring at an extremely sluggish rate after the powerplay ended.
Pace trio of Cameron Green, Kartik Tyagi and Saurabh Dubey picked a couple of wickets each, while Sunil Narine was once again at his best, giving away just 13 runs in his four overs and accounting for the fall of the MI captain. Corbin Bosch played a much-needed cameo at the end to help MI reach a respectable total of 147-8 at the end of 20 overs.
In response, MI attacked early, with Deepak Chahar getting the breakthrough of the dangerous man Finn Allen in the first over itself. Then, Manish Pandey arrived at the crease and rolled back the years with his 45 off 33 at number three. Ajinkya Rahane also played an able hand at the top with his 21 runs off 17 deliveries on a track that had slowed down after the rain interruption in the first innings. Rovman Powell took things further, succumbing after a 40-run knock. Bosch picked three wickets for the visitors.
Now, KKR will face the Delhi Capitals for their last encounter, where they need nothing but a win to keep their chances of getting into the playoffs alive. Mumbai, on the other hand, have already been handed an elimination from the tournament and will face the Rajasthan Royals in their final encounter of the season at the Wankhede Stadium on May 24.
Here are the funniest memes from KKR vs MI, Match 65 of IPL 2026, here:
