Kolkata Knight Riders all but ended Mumbai Indians' hopes of qualifying for the playoffs by registering a huge 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah.
Kolkata Knight Riders dealt a virtual knockout blow to defending champions Mumbai Indians by registering a massive 86-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Sharjah in Match 54 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Thursday. With this massive win, the Eoin-Morgan-led side are now almost certain to finish fourth with a net run-rate of +0.587. The five-time IPL champions have to win the match by 171 runs to qualify for the next round and if Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai bowls first, they will be officially knocked out of the playoffs.
IPL 2021 Points Table
Delhi Capitals found a place in the top two after Chennai Super Kings lost to Punjab Kings in the first match of the double-header on Thursday. The team led by Rishabh Pant will top the table.
CSK are currently second on the list and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the third position. KKR are set to finish as the fourth team and go to the playoffs.
Punjab Kings are fifth on the points table after their win over CSK on Thursday. Mumbai Indians, who have an almost impossible task ahead of them, have been placed at the sixth position. He will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
Orange Cap
KL Rahul's blistering knock of 98 not out saw him grab the Orange Cap from Faf Fu Plessis, who led the race for the most runs in this year's IPL, scoring a half-century against Punjab Kings in the opening day.
The Punjab Kings captain has scored 626 runs in 13 matches while du Plessis has 546 runs in his name in 14 matches.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who failed with the bat against PBKS, is third with 533 runs. Behind him is Shikhar Dhawan of Delhi Capitals with 501 runs.
Purple Cap
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Harshal Patel's three-wicket haul on Wednesday saw him extend his lead as the leading wicket-taker this season. The RCB fast bowler has taken 29 wickets in 13 matches in IPL 2021.
Delhi Capitals' Avesh Khan (22) is seven wickets behind Harshal in the race for the Purple Cap. India's leader Jasprit Bumrah is third with 19 wickets in 13 matches. All three players will have a chance to increase their number of wickets on the final day of the league stage of IPL 2021.