Mumbai Indians are simply hanging on by the thread in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Their chances of qualifying for the playoffs have become very bleak and they also seem to be out of the race for the business end of the tournament.
Things got worse for them when they faced another crushing defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They suffered a disappointing 24-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (May 3).
Mumbai Indians, who opted to play first, had an excellent outing with the ball. They continued to contribute with wickets at regular intervals and put pressure on Kolkata Knight Riders. Initially, they left the opposition reeling at 57/5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, after that, Manish Pandey (42) and Venkatesh Iyer (70) batted incredibly well and got their team out of trouble. Going by their 83-run partnership with the bat, Kolkata Knight Riders managed 169 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the players with his figures of 3/16.
It was a torrid outing with the bat for Mumbai Indians in the chase. They lost wickets early on and were under immense pressure. Ishan Kishan (13), Rohit Sharma (11), Naman Dhir (11), Tilak Varma (4), Nehal Wadhera (6) and Hardik Pandya (1) fell in quick succession as Mumbai Indians reeled in 71. /6.
Suryakumar Yadav (56), who came into bat at number 4, batted well for his team and until the moment he batted, it looked like Mumbai Indians would win. But after his departure, the home team was once again under pressure. Tim David (24) tried his best but fell in the 19th.
Mitchell Starc then closed the tail quickly as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians by 145 runs, winning the game by 24 runs at the Wankhede Stadium and claiming their seventh win of the season.
Mumbai Indians qualification scenario for IPL 2024 playoffs
With the 24-run loss against Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians registered their eighth defeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They are currently at ninth place in the points table with just three wins under their belt. To make matters worse, they also have a poor NRR of -0.356.
Mumbai Indians’ chances of qualifying for the IPL 2024 playoffs are insurmountable. But they are still in dispute mathematically. Hardik Pandya’s side need to win the remaining three games of the tournament, which will take them to 12 points and could also put them at third place in the points table.
However, this is only possible if Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad lose the remaining four matches and Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight retain the top two spots. This will keep Mumbai Indians on 12 points with LSG and SRH and then NRR will come into effect and they will be able to qualify.
Therefore, they must ensure that they win their last three matches of the tournament by a large margin. This will increase their NRR and could help them qualify.