When the chips are down and the pressure mounts, experience often trumps exuberance. At Eden Gardens on Wednesday, Kolkata Knight Riders proved exactly that.

With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, KKR delivered a complete performance to dismantle an already-eliminated Mumbai Indians by four wickets, keeping their top-four dreams alive in what has become a nail-biting race for IPL qualification.

Also Read: Cummins’ three-for guides Hyderabad to playoff spot

The visitors never recovered from a devastating new-ball assault that left them reeling at 46/4 after the powerplay, the fifth time this season Mumbai have haemorrhaged at least three wickets inside the first six overs. That shocking statistic tells you everything about their dismal campaign.

Ajinkya Rahane’s decision to field first on a two-paced Eden Gardens surface with uneven bounce proved inspired as pacers Saurabh Dubey and Cameron Green ripped through the Mumbai top order, claiming two wickets apiece in their respective first spells. The five-time champions looked shell-shocked, their batters unable to cope with the extra nip and variable bounce.

West Indian spinner Sunil Narine then applied the chokehold through the middle overs, his miserly spell of 4-0-13-0 ensuring Mumbai couldn’t build any momentum. Skipper Hardik Pandya, returning from a three-match absence with back spasms, combined with Tilak Varma for a painstaking 43-run stand, but their 49-ball partnership only highlighted the difficulty of the conditions rather than offering any real threat.

Mumbai eventually limped to 147/8, with only Corbin Bosch’s late pyrotechnics, two towering sixes off Kartik Tyagi in the final over, providing a semblance of respectability to an otherwise anaemic total.

KKR wobble before experience takes over

The chase began disastrously for Kolkata, who had won four of their previous five matches and arrived brimming with confidence. Prolific opener Finn Allen’s stumps were rattled by Deepak Chahar in the very first over, and when both Rahane and Green fell to Bosch with just six runs added, KKR found themselves in familiar trouble at 54/3.

Enter Manish Pandey and Rovman Powell.

What followed was a masterclass in controlled aggression and intelligent cricket. Pandey, playing his first innings of the season, showed no signs of rustiness whatsoever. The stylish right-hander, who became the first Indian to score an IPL century way back in 2009, caressed the ball through the off-side with his trademark cheekiness, accumulating runs with minimal fuss.

Powell, meanwhile, rode his luck, Chahar inexplicably didn’t go for a straightforward catch that was tantalisingly within reach, but the powerful West Indian made Mumbai pay for the reprieve. The duo punished anything loose as the pitch eased out, their 93-run partnership the bedrock of KKR’s successful chase.

“This is the only time I’ve batted (this season), I’ve been padded up and waiting to bat, this is a special one for me,” Pandey said after his vital 45. “If I am not getting to play, I still want to be a part of the team. Hope we finish well and squeeze into the top four.”

That statement speaks volumes about Pandey’s professionalism. One of only three players, alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, to have featured in all 19 IPL seasons, his experience shone through when his team needed it most.

Bumrah brilliance not enough

Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai’s lone beacon in a forgettable season, produced a trademark special delivery to clean up Pandey, but by then the damage was done. Powell fell shortly after to a spectacular diving catch by Bosch at point, diving full length to his right, but Rinku Singh ensured there were no late dramas, knocking off the remaining runs without fuss.

For Mumbai, this was another forgettable chapter in a campaign to forget. Already eliminated from playoff contention, they’re now playing for pride alone, a scenario unthinkable for a franchise of their stature at the season’s start.

For KKR, the victory keeps them afloat in the playoff race, albeit hanging on by their fingernails. With the competition tightening at the business end, they’ll need results to go their way whilst continuing to win their remaining fixtures.

But if Pandey’s composure and Powell’s power are anything to go by, they might just have enough quality in their ranks to gatecrash the party.