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Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Friday, May 3.
MI are having a dismal season under their new captain, Hardik Pandya, as they have won only three of their 10 matches, sitting second-last on the points table. However, the Mumbai Indians are still mathematically in playoff contention, and their fans will be hoping for a decent performance when they face KKR on their home turf.
On the other hand, KKR have won six out of nine matches and are in second place in the points table with 12 points. Kolkata convincingly defeated the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their last game. Chasing a target of 154, Phillip Salt led the charge for KKR; he scored 68 runs and guided the Knight Riders to an easy win with 21 balls remaining.
Throughout 17 seasons of the IPL, both teams have played an exciting brand of cricket, and fans have witnessed some memorable batting performances. On that note, we will look at the top three knocks in MI-KKR matches in the IPL.
Top 3 knocks in MI-KKR matches in IPL
#3 Blistering Knock by Hardik Pandya at Eden Gardens in IPL 2019 (91 off 34 balls)
MI won the toss and elected to field first in the 47th match of IPL 2019, but things didn’t go in their favor. KKR openers Shubham Gill (76) and Chris Lynn (54) provided a great start, and later it was Andre Russell who scored 80 runs in 40 balls, powering the Knight Riders to a mammoth total of 232 runs.
In reply, Mumbai lost early wickets and were 58 for 4 in 8.2 overs. However, then came Hardik Pandya; he hit KKR bowlers all over the ground and scored 91 runs off just 34 balls. His innings was studded with six fours and nine sixes. Though Hardik couldn’t win the match for MI, he reduced the losing margin to just 34 runs.
#2 In 2023, Venkatesh Iyer became the second batter to score a century for KKR in the IPL (104 off 51 balls)
Venkatesh Iyer put on a show at Wankhede Stadium in the 22nd match of IPL 2023, after MI invited KKR to bat first. Iyer made 104 runs in 51 balls and became the second KKR batter after Brendon McCullum to score a century in the IPL. He hit six fours and nine sixes in his innings and guided KKR to a total of 185 runs.
However, Iyer’s century went in vain as MI chased down the target with 14 balls remaining, thanks to a fifty by Ishan Kishan and notable contributions by Suryakumar Yadav (43) and Tilak Varma (30).
#1 Rohit Sharma scored his maiden IPL century against KKR in IPL 2012 (109* off 60 balls)
The Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bat first in the 58th match of the 2012 season at Eden Gardens. MI lost Sachin Tendulkar early, but Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma remained there until 20 overs.
Gibbs scored 66 runs, while Sharma scored his maiden IPL century, as he remained unbeaten on 109 runs off 60 balls. Rohit hit 12 fours and five sixes, and they guided MI to a total of 182 runs.
In response, KKR lost their openers early, and Jacques Kallis played a brilliant hand, scoring 79 runs off 60 balls. However, no other batter had a decent outing, as KKR fell short by 27 runs. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award for his knock.
