On Thursday, September 23, the Kolkata Knight Riders extended their winning run by registering an emphatic victory against the Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi. To demonstrate their supremacy and get into the top four of the points table, KKR outplayed MI in the last match. Aakash Chopra, a former Indian cricketer and pundit, was tempted to make two big predictions as a result of this.
MI got off to a good start, but KKR held the side to a total of 155 runs in the first innings. Venkatesh Iyer, in pursuit of the goal, once again demonstrated his dominance by scoring a ferocious half-century in the process. Against MI, Rahul Tripathi blasted the bowlers all over the place to put up a stunning unbeaten 74-ball century. They further managed to beat the Punjab Kings with six wickets in hand and one over left to spare.
KKR earlier earned a dominant victory over RCB
Following KKR’s impressive victory, Aakash Chopra went to his official Twitter account to declare that the team will go to the finals of this year’s Indian Premier League. Chopra also made another startling prediction, stating that he would not be shocked if Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL winners, do not qualify for the playoffs this season.
And won’t be surprised if #MI doesn’t qualify for the playoffs. #IPL2021
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 23, 2021
The first half of the Indian Premier League had to be halted because of Covid’s entry into a few training camps. For a few teams, it was anticipated that this break would go smoothly, allowing them to close any gaps in their side’s defence. In this way, it seems like KKR has gained from the hiatus since they have come back stronger in the IPL’s UAE leg of the tournament.
KKR took on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening encounter of the UAE leg. The bowlers of the side completely dismantled RCB’s formidable batting lineup. Varun Chakravarthy and Andre Russel each took three wickets, causing problems for the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen. Lockie Ferguson, who took two wickets in the contest, was also a very economical bowler.
No RCB hitter was able to muster enough resistance, as the club was dismissed for 92 runs. When KKR came out to bat, they immediately seized control of the field, with their openers putting the team into a winning position. In the second innings, Shubman Gill fell only two runs short of his half-century, while Venkatesh Iyer stunned the cricketing world with an unbroken 41-run performance. The match was won by KKR by nine wickets.