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:
Kitne Refund Krna hai wo to bta do chopra ji ..?π https://t.co/OEHlrwejdX pic.twitter.com/5roAuT6WEd
β BrevIsGod πΏπ¦ (@Thinkcritical07) May 20, 2026
Runs Outside Home ground this IPL :
β Jack (@VKx76) May 20, 2026
Virat Kohli vs KKR - 105*
Rohit Sharma outside Wankhede - 102 runs in 5 innings pic.twitter.com/M6IyDS8vXS
Match 65; KKR vs MI
β Pavan OG (@PavanTargaryen) May 20, 2026
Winner: MI π https://t.co/L6CrBQx9Ma pic.twitter.com/KJwDFIMNy7
KKR win both matches and they'll qualify
β Tyson (@tyson18__) May 19, 2026
one is against MI pic.twitter.com/mXGbVWUMOg
How I Will Be Watching KKR vs MI tonight π pic.twitter.com/Tl0urzML7C
β Dr Khushboo (@khushbookadri) May 19, 2026
This meme is still relevant pic.twitter.com/W5HrCwyjxA
β Rishav (@Imrishav108) May 20, 2026
Rohit Sharma scored 15(13) not 8(22) pic.twitter.com/4S8ATDPCSS
β β (@viratkohli_un) May 20, 2026
Chaluu jii, sorry pandey jii what a catch.
β Riya (@rudemiss17) May 20, 2026
#KKRvsMI pic.twitter.com/C1D0oyFA8q
The reaction of Dishant Yagnik says it all. π₯π₯Ή pic.twitter.com/XzfCS2orSr
β Rokte Amar KKR (@Rokte_Amarr_KKR) May 20, 2026
You can never make me hate this team . pic.twitter.com/gIxa5YnDZb
β Red (@Charizard_5_) May 20, 2026
People watch all this and still call Rohit Sharma a lucky batter lmao. pic.twitter.com/JpfwmxxYT9
β ππ¨π ππ§π¬ππ§π (@jod_insane) May 20, 2026
