In a thrilling IPL encounter yesterday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders faced off against Mumbai Indians. Knight Riders posted a total of 157/7 in 16 overs, with notable contributions from Venkatesh Iyer (42), Nitish Rana (33), and Andre Russell (24). In response, Mumbai Indians fought hard but could only manage 139/8 in their 16 overs, falling short by 18 runs. Varun Chakaravarthy was the standout performer, earning the Player of the Match award for his impressive bowling figures of 2/17 in 4 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders emerged victorious in a closely contested match which was affected by the rain.

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Ambati Rayudu analyzes the weaknesses of MI’s Suryakumar Yadav after KKR defeat

Ambati Rayudu addressed Suryakumar Yadav's performance, pointing out a particular weakness in the batsman's game. In the Mumbai Indians' latest game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Yadav's difficulty with slower deliveries outside the off stump was clear as he scored just 11 runs off 14 balls before Andre Russell dismissed him. Rayudu pointed out that rival bowlers can find it useful to take advantage of this vulnerability by delivering wide outside the off stump and pushing Yadav to play towards the longer boundary. Rayudu emphasised that Yadav has to work on improving this area of his game and that he should focus on how he handles deliveries that come in outside of the off stump. Speaking on Star Sports, Ambati Rayudu said: 

“There is a plan in terms of bowling to Suryakumar Yadav. You bowl slow and you bowl wide. We have seen that in the World Cup as well. When the pitch is slow with a bigger boundary on one side, teams have a plan against him. He needs to work on that a little bit,” 

This season, Suryakumar Yadav has been MI's best player, with 345 runs from 10 games at a scorching average of 38.33 and a startling percentage of 169.95. He is one of MI's leading run scorers even though he missed the first three games.

Rayudu blamed MI's poor batting performance for their loss against KKR. The squad started the chase of 158 off to a great start, driven by a powerful 65-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, but once Kishan was removed by Sunil Narine, the chase stuttered. Mumbai's disastrous score of 139 for 8 was the result of the hitters' poor shot selection, especially against spinners, which Rayudu chastised them for. Ambati Rayudu added: 

“Lack of ability to play the spinners cost them the game. There was a little bit of moisture in the game. The ball was holding up, but I think their shot selections were poor. Rohit Sharma is known for big sixes, playing straight, but today, he was trying to sweep and reverse sweep. It was the lack of batsmanship that cost them,” 

With their playoff dreams shattered, MI will play their last season encounter against KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday, May 17, at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. This game becomes a source of honour for MI, allowing them to finish their season on a positive note despite missing the playoffs after a horrible season.