New Delhi: Rain hampered Kolkata Knight Riders and IPL 2026 crucial match. Mumbai Indians At the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, KKR’s playoff hopes hang by a thread.By the time rain stopped play, Mumbai Indians were struggling at 57/4 in eight overs when the KKR skipper asked to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane. The hurdle came when Kolkata had taken control of the contest.However, if the match eventually ends, the two teams will be forced to share a point apiece – which will seriously hurt KKR’s chances of reaching the playoffs.Kolkata went into the match knowing that they needed to win both of their remaining league games to stay alive in the race for qualification. A non-result would leave them with a maximum possible tally of 14 points, which would not be enough to secure a place in the top four depending on other results.Before the rain came, KKR bowlers got off to a great start. Saurabh Dubey removed the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav cheaply, while Mumbai’s top order struggled to score freely on a pitch that spent most of the evening under cover.Talking about the toss, Rahane admitted that KKR cannot afford any more mistakes this season.“We want to focus on that, we have to win two out of two, and we want to live in the moment,” Rahane said.Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya Also said his team wants to finish the season strong despite already being out of playoff contention.“Any game you play, you want to win. You want to play your best cricket,” Hardik said.A washout would officially end MI’s campaign with little impact on the standings, but for KKR, it could prove to be a heartbreaking blow after a late resurgence in the tournament.
