In Match 56 of IPL 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday night, KKR crushed RR by 86 runs to have their one foot on play-off stage.

With this huge win, KKR not only improved their net run rate, but also literally knocked Mumbai Indians (MI) out of the contention as it is impossible for the Rohit Sharma-led side to rise over KKR even if they win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday (October 8).

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For MI, they need to win by a 170-plus margin against the SRH on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhbai which is next to impossible.

If they are chasing, the MI have no chance at all.

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“I don’t think it could’ve got better. Losing the toss and batting was difficult. The start we got was fantastic. (Shubman) Gill and (Venkatesh) Iyer have been our shining light. To get 170 we thought was in a commanding position. A really strong performance today,” Morgan said in the post-match virtual press conference.

“Having aggressive players coming in the middle order helped us kick. I’m not too attached to things as to what’ll happen and what won’t happen. We’ve done everything tonight. We deserved to win,” England’s World Cup-winning skipper added.

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Morgan said Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has lived up to the team’s expectation with his stellar performance, having replaced injured Andre Russell in the last two matches of the UAE leg.

“He has contributed massively. We’re taking it day by day (with Russell), so he’s working incredibly hard. Fingers crossed,” he added.

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If KKR are through, they are expected to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator tie on Monday (October 11) at Sharjah.

The Virat Kohli-led RCB will take on Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals in their last group tie at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday (October 8).