A brilliant batting display led by Faf du Plessis's superb 86 saw MS Dhoni's men reach 192-3 in the first innings in Dubai.
KKR, who had won both of their previous IPL finals in 2012 and 2014, made a decent fight of a forlorn-looking chase but finished 27 runs short on 165-9.
Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad (32), the top-scoring batsman of the IPL season, put up an opening stand of 61 before the latter was caught by Shivam Mari off a delivery from Sunil Narine (2-26).
Du Plessis was unperturbed, blunting the Knight Riders' attack with ruthless efficiency in a stellar knock. Robin Uthappa also scored 31 off just 15 balls before being trapped lbw and Moeen Ali kept up the impeccable standards with 37.
By the time Du Plessis was caught by Mari at long-on off the final ball of the innings, KKR's hopes were already looking slim, although they still mustered a creditable challenge.
Dhoni, in his 300th match as a captain in T20 cricket, dropped what looked a routine catch in the second over and Venkatesh Iyer took full advantage as he raced to a half-century.
It looked as though his stand with Shubman Gill (51) was finally over at 79-0 when Ambati Rayudu got a fine running catch, but Gill was granted a dead-ball reprieve after it struck one of the spider-cam cables on its way down.
Iyer was not so fortunate when he sent another ball from Shardul Thakur (3-38) high into the sky, Ravindra Jadeja grasping it in outstretched fingers as Kolkata's hopes took a major blow.
Du Plessis caught Nitish Rana for a first-ball duck and Narine holed out to Jadeja four deliveries later, as the middle order began to collapse.
Gill (51) was struck flush on the pad as he tried an ambitious scoop shot before Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan and Rahul Tripathi were out for 11 runs combined.
Captain Eoin Morgan fell five runs short of reaching 1,000 in the IPL, Deepak Chahar taking a brilliant boundary catch, as the party started among the yellow shirts in the stands long before the fireworks flared after the final ball.
Four-midables
The Super Kings have now beaten the Knight Riders in six of their past seven IPL meetings, including the previous four in a row.
This was their ninth final, at least three more than any other side has reached, but they had only won three of the previous eight and were beaten by Kolkata in the showpiece nine years ago.
Yet their batting display was of a quality worthy of champions, Du Plessis in particular showing power and poise as he hit seven fours and three sixes en route to a third IPL title with the franchise.
Luckless Lockie
Before this match, Kolkata had a bowling dot-ball figure of 40 per cent, the best of any side in the competition. Here, they had little answer to the Super Kings' batting excellence.
Lockie Ferguson endured an especially tough time, posting figures of 0-56 and giving up nine boundaries and two wide balls from just four overs.
Harbhajan will go down as one of India's greatest spinners, having taken 417 Test wickets in 103 matches.
He sits fourth on the list of his country's leading Test wicket-takers and is India's fifth-highest ODI wicket-taker with 269 tom 236 games.
Harbhajan also played in 28 Twenty20 Internationals, picking up 25 scalps, and also featured for his country in 2016.
The tweaker on Friday revealed that his long, illustrious career has come to an end.
He tweeted: "All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life.
"I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable. My heartfelt thank you. Grateful."
Harbhajan last played for Kolkata Knight Riders in April.
In reply to 149-9, Kings XI made a somewhat inauspicious start, but Gayle's entrance provided the required spark and subsequently seemed to inspire Mandeep, who was visibly emotional as he passed 50 just a few days after the death of his father.
KKR's bowlers failed to match the performance of their counterparts, Kings XI sealing an impressive victory that puts them fourth.
A dreadful start by Kolkata left them staring at a tricky innings as they found themselves 10-3 having lost Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik in the first two overs.
Shubman Gill (57) and Eoin Morgan (40) soon steadied the ship with a stand of 81, but the tide turned again as Kings XI's spinners took charge.
Lockie Ferguson (24 not out) was the only other batsman to reach double figures, Varun Chakaravarthy – the last to fall – summing up their struggles as he hit an attempted reverse sweep into his own stumps.
Kings XI might have been accused of being a little conservative in their chase given they were at 47-1 at the end of the eighth over, when captain KL Rahul fell, but that was the turning point.
Gayle entered the crease and quickly turned on the style, his successive sixes soon followed by another as he began to toy with the Knight Riders.
Mandeep reached his half-century in the 16th over to draw rousing applause from his team-mates and finished unbeaten on 66, helped by eight fours and a pair of sixes.
Gayle was halted on 51 when caught by Prasidh Krishna, but at that point Kings XI needed just three runs and Nicholas Pooran saw them home.
GAYLE TURNS IT UP A NOTCH
While Mandeep will deservedly get much of the attention for the quality of his performance, even more so given his personal situation, Gayle's entry was undoubtedly a key factor.
Until then, Kings XI had looked a little lacklustre even if they were performing solidly. The 'Universe Boss' provided the oomph they had been missing.
SPINNERS LEAD THE WAY
The target of 150 always looked an entirely reachable one, and for that, much of the credit must go to the Kings XI spinners. That includes Glen Maxwell, who opened the bowling and claimed 1-21.
Rahul's in-form side have now won five on the spin, quickly moving them up the standings at a crucial time in the season.
The 41-year-old big hitter had been expected to come into the line-up on Thursday, for the first time this season, but was forced to watch from the sideline after battling with a bout of food poisoning. The team plummeted to a 5th loss of the season, from its first six games.
Frustration has grown with Maxwell as the all-rounder has managed just 48 runs in six matches. It was hoped the player would replicate his heroics from the previous edition but another low score on Thursday has put his place in jeopardy.
"The message was very clear that they were not happy with Maxwell. It’s a clear statement if Chris Gayle walks in, Maxwell walks out," Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha told Sports Today.
Ojha believes the team’s batting struggles have also impacted KL Rahul who he does not believe is playing like his usual self. Ojha believes the issue is the burden of supporting what has proven to be a rather fragile middle-order.
. “I think he was just trying to play because he knew that the middle order is not doing well, that pressure and this game you know when you have over 200 runs to chase, any batsman would feel the pressure. And Rahul knows that if he and Mayank don’t do well, they have a fragile middle order. Anil Kumble mentioned Chris Gayle, they wanted him to play but he was not well.”
Both sides had lost their first game of the tournament and it was KKR who got up and running at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, where Sunrisers could only post 142-4 after David Warner won the toss and opted to bat.
Manish Pandey top scored with 51 from 38 balls and Warner made 36, but Pat Cummins (1-19) and Varun Chakravarthy (1-25) were the standout bowlers in a fine performance in the field from the Knight Riders.
KKR stayed ahead of the run-rate in reply, but there was work to do when they were 53-3 in the seventh over in Abu Dhabi.
Star spinner Rashid Khan trapped captain Dinesh Karthik leg before for a duck to leave the Knight Riders three down, Sunil Narine having also gone without scoring and Nitish Rana (26) caught behind off Thangarasu Natarajan.
Gill (70no from 62) and Eoin Morgan (42no off 29) then combined for a match-winning unbroken stand of 92 to get Kolkata home with two overs to spare.
That leaves Sunrisers as the only team without a point early in the tournament.
CUMMINS SPOILS BAIRSTOW'S BIRTHDAY
Jonny Bairstow was unable to celebrate his 31st birthday with an explosive knock, departing for only five off 10 balls.
The England batsman might have thought it was his day when he successfully reviewed after being given out to Cummins, but he was cleaned up off the next ball from the Australia quick.
Cummins, who went for 49 from three overs in a loss to Mumbai Indians three days earlier, was outstanding and deserved more than just the one wicket, bowling 11 dot balls in four excellent overs.
Bairstow's opening partner Warner was looking in great touch until he was caught and bowled by Chakravarthy.
YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE GET KKR HOME
The 21-year-old Gill reached his half-century off 42 balls and saw it through with great support from the vastly experienced Morgan.
Gill and England's ODI World Cup-winning captain Morgan both struck two sixes as they took the game away from Sunrisers.
The powerful Morgan finished the game in the style, dispatching Natarajan over long-on for six and hitting the next ball for four to finish it off.
Gill, who also found the rope five times, was named man of the match after giving another demonstration of his considerable promise.
There is only one place in the last four up for grabs after Royal Challengers Bangalore qualified on Sunday and KKR are primed to extend their season after this victory at the Dubai International Stadium.
Rooted to the bottom of the table with only two wins, Sunrisers could only post 115-8 after Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first.
Williamson top scored with only 26 and Abdul Samad made a quickfire 25, with Tim Southee (2-26) Shivam Mavi (2-29) and Varun Chakravarthy 2-26 restricting Hyderabad to a below-par total.
Shakib Al Hasan marked his first appearance since the tournament resumed in the UAE by running Williamson out with a direct hit and the all-rounder also took 1-20.
Gill struck 57 from 51 balls with support from Nitish Rana (25) and Dinesh Karthik made an unbeaten 18 as the Knight Riders got home with two balls to spare
The win moves Eoin Morgan's fourth-placed side two points clear of Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians with a superior run-rate.
Rajasthan and defending champions Mumbai have a game in hand ahead of KKR's final match of the regular season against the Royals in Sharjah on Thursday.
Southee sets the tone
New Zealand paceman Southee went for 40 from four wicketless overs in a loss to Punjab Kings on Friday.
He charged in to put that behind him two days later, trapping Wriddhiman Saha leg before first ball off the second delivery of the match.
Southee also saw the back of Samad after he had hit three sixes, with Varun and Mavi also impressing along with the returning Shakib.
Composed Gill fits the bill
Calm heads were needed in the run chase with so much at stake as the play-off battle hots up, with the Royals knowing a second successive defeat could be so costly.
Opening batsman Gill delivered, laying the foundations with a composed knock that included 10 boundaries.
Siddarth Kaul had Gill caught by Jason Holder, who took 2-32, in the deep in the 17th over, but Morgan's men were well on their way to victory by then.
Despite Hardik Pandya (67) racking up another half-century for the leaders, Andre Russell's (4-5) superb late display wrecked the Titans' bottom-order to limit them to just 156-9.
However, Kolkata's attempts to chase down that seemingly achievable target were left in disarray after early exits for Sam Billings (4), Sunil Narine (5), and Nitish Rana (2).
Russell (48) fell just short of a half-century with the bat as he attempted to single-handedly drive his side to victory, but Lockie Ferguson's excellent catch sent him packing in the 19th over and sealed a hard-earned victory for the Titans.
Titans skipper Hardik elected to bat after winning the toss, going on to hit 67 in another outstanding knock as his side targeted a third consecutive IPL win.
Shubman Gill was removed for just seven runs early on, but Hardik's excellent showing led the Titans to 83 before Wriddhiman Saha (25) was dismissed by Umesh Yadav.
David Miller (27) supported Hardik well, but after the duo were caught in the 16th and 17th innings respectively, the wickets fell in rapid fashion as Russell took charge.
He dismissed Rahul Tewatia (17), Abhinav Manohar (2), Ferguson (0) and Yash Dayal (nought) to bag four wickets in a remarkable final over, but a nightmare start to the Knight Riders' own innings saw their hopes of a first win in four IPL matches dissipate.
Billings, Narine and Rana all fell for single figures as the Knight Riders toiled to 16-3, although Rinku Singh's knock of 35 then dragged them back into the contest.
The outstanding Russell then hit 48 off 25 balls to set up tense finale, but was caught by Ferguson two balls into the final over as the Knight Riders fell to a demoralising fourth consecutive loss.
Russell runs riot with the ball, and goes close with the bat
Russell was incredibly unlucky to finish on the losing side, registering a terrific performance with the ball and then almost dragging his team-mates to victory after taking up the bat, only to be felled just two runs short of his half-century.
Hardik show proves vital
Hardik's 67 looked to be in vain for much of the contest, but the skipper's performance eventually proved crucial, accounting for over a third of his team's score before the Kolkata top-order collapsed.
The English batter had been due to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in a tournament that starts on March 26.
Hales on Friday revealed he will not travel to India due to the strains of spending so much time in bio-secure environments due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He tweeted: "I am sad to announce that I have made the extremely difficult decision to withdraw from the forthcoming IPL.
"Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive bio bubbles and having tested positive for COVID myself in Australia, I don't feel as though I can commit myself to another extended period within a secure environment.
"It wouldn't be fair on the team or myself if I wasn't able to perform to the level expected of me as a result of ongoing bubble fatigue.
"I am truly gutted to have to turn down one of the best opportunities of my career due to the toll that the last two years of bubble life has taken on my mental well-being.
"I'll now take some time to rest and recharge ahead of the summer."
In eight matches to date, Russell has struggled to an average of 11.85, with a high score of 24. As those stats will tell you, the typically big-hitting West Indian has managed to clear the boundary rope just 6 times, reaching to it on four occasions, well short of his explosive best.
The performance is light years away from last season’s bulldozer campaign, which saw the player accumulate 510 runs from the stipulated 14 games at an average of 56.66, with a whopping 204.81 strike rate.
Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha believes a big part of the issue is that Russell has not developed his game and is the same player he was four years ago. Worse yet, he believes it could increasingly become a liability for KKR.
“Andre Russell is not an improved cricketer, he has not changed his game. You see all the top players, they have changed their approach. Andre Russell is playing just the way he was playing 4 years ago, that is a liability,” Ojha told India Today’s Sports Tak.
“Look at Jasprit Bumrah, when he came into the Mumbai Indians side and what he is today, you have to improve. You have to improve as a cricketer, cricket is evolving and you have to evolve, you cannot be stagnant.”
Russell has done a bit better with the ball, claiming six wickets at an economy rate of 9.12.
The viral photo of a dejected Russell sitting on the steps did the rounds on social media, and the player has taken the time out to explain the emotions associated with the moment.
“Well, I was very emotional and I didn’t know how to go to the changing room and face all my teammates after leaving a ball and getting out bowled like that,” Russell told KKR.in.
“You know, the job is not complete, and I wanted to take the team over the line. So, I think the emotions got the best of me but staying strong,” he added.
KKR found themselves chasing a sizeable 221 for victory and in real trouble at 31 for 5. Russell and Dinesh Karthik had, however, started to lead the fightback. Russell hit 6 sixes and smashed a 21-ball fifty to give KKR hope and seemed set on delivering on one of his famous comeback specials. He was, however, dismissed against the run of play, for 54, in the 12th over when he left a Curran delivery, which crashed into his leg stump.
The towering speedster earned widespread plaudits after putting together an extraordinarily economical 3 for 28, in a high-scoring encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.
With some 422 runs scored in the match, Ngidi, who was tasked with death bowling duties after replacing Bravo in the line-up, had a solid economy rate of 7.00. The South African’s skills and variations were on full display after he trapped an attacking Dinesh Karthik with a slower ball dismissal, a delivery that would surely have pleased his West Indian tutor.
“There was a lot of pressure, Bravo has been doing very well for CSK. So, I had to come in and fill his shoes,” Ngidi told the IPL’s official website.
“I have worked very closely with Bravo on the slower bowls at the death. One of the slower bowls he has been teaching me for a long time came off and got us a wicket.”
In the end, CSK won by 18 runs, in no small part thanks to Faf Du Plessis’ brutal, unbeaten 95 from 60 deliveries. The 37-year-old Bravo was rested for the encounter, due to workload concerns.
De Kock had earlier been left red-faced when he dropped Pat Cummins on 36 and the Australia paceman went on to make his maiden IPL half-century on Friday.
An unbroken stand of 87 between Cummins (53 not out) and new captain Eoin Morgan (39no) got KKR up to 148-5 in Abu Dhabi.
Rahul Chahar was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers with 2-18 and it was South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman De Kock who played the biggest hand with the bat.
The left-hander smashed an unbeaten 78 off 44 balls to get the defending champions home with 19 balls to spare, sealing a sixth win in eight games.
De Kock has now made three half-centuries in his last four innings, although he did have a bit of fortune when Varun Chakravarthy missed a tough chance to send him on his way for 20.
Rohit Sharma made a slow 35 by his usual standards in an opening partnership of 94, while Hardik Pandya weighed in with a brisk 21 not out.
Victory for Mumbai moves them to the summit, level on points with Delhi Capitals, while the Knight Riders are fourth.
CHAHAR DOUBLE STRIKE JOLTS KKR AT START OF MORGAN REIGN
Kolkata announced on the day of the game that Dinesh Karthik had handed over the captaincy to England's white-ball skipper Morgan.
Morgan opted to bat after winning the toss and might have been wondering if that was the right call when his side were 61-5 after Jasprit Bumrah removed Andre Russell.
The excellent Chahar had Shubman Gill caught at long-on and Karthik played the next ball on, so it was left for Morgan and Cummins to come to the rescue.
Cummins and Morgan both struck two sixes as they produced a much-needed late flurry of runs, Nathan Coulter-Nile (1-51) proving to be particularly expensive.
DE KOCK STARS IN RUN CHASE
The destructive De Kock produced another devastating exhibition of clean striking, moving into the top 10 in the list of the highest run-scorers in the 2020 edition of the IPL.
He was the chief aggressor in the opening partnership with Rohit, who faced 36 deliveries.
De Kock struck two of his three maximums in a costly seventh over from Prasidh Krishna, also hitting nine fours in another high-quality knock.
The 27-year-old has 269 runs in the tournament at an average of 38.42 and, on this evidence, there may be plenty more to come.
Four months after the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament restarts at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Mumbai, eyeing a third successive title, had won back-to-back games to move up to fourth place when the decision was made to halt the IPL and will be out to pick up where they left off against second-placed CSK.
With India unable to stage the competition, the remainder of the action over the next month will be staged in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
Delhi Capitals are the franchise to catch at the top of the table, although the Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore are only two points behind them with a game in hand.
Stats Perform take a look at the state of play ahead of the resumption.
What is the schedule and where will the games take place?
There will be 31 matches contested in the space of 27 days and fans will be allowed in to watch, starting with the showdown between two of the top four.
Dubai will stage 13 games, including the final on October 15, with 10 contests taking place in Sharjah and eight in Abu Dhabi.
The first qualifier of the post-season will be played in Dubai on October 10, with the eliminator and second qualifier taking place in Sharjah on October 11 and 13 respectively.
Pant continues to captain leaders Delhi
Delhi lost to Mumbai in the final last year but responded impressively, winning six of eight matches to top the table this season.
They return to action against bottom side Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Wednesday with Rishabh Pant retaining captaincy duties.
The Capitals revealed Pant will continue to lead the side despite Shreyas Iyer's return from a shoulder injury.
Pant had extra time to rest his legs after he was among the India Test players who flew to the UAE earlier than expected, with the final match at Old Trafford dramatically called off due to concerns over a COVID-19 outbreak in the tourists' camp.
Star men absent
While there will be an array of star quality on show, there will also be a number of notable absentees.
England World Cup winners Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes will not feature, and the same goes for Dawid Malan.
Australia paceman Pat Cummins will also be absent, while India all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out due to injury.
Ground to make up
Sunrisers will be desperate to salvage some pride, having won only one of seven matches.
Second-bottom Kolkata Knight Riders, who have signed Tim Southee with Cummins unavailable, also have a lot of work to do.
Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals are two points behind fourth-placed Mumbai.
In the 17th over of CSK’s successful chase of KKR’s 171-6, Russell completed an athletic save on the midwicket boundary and appeared to have injured himself.
"He said he felt something pop in his leg, his hamstring. We've got the best medical staff in the business so they'll tend to him and hopefully, it's nothing too serious, because he's a key part of our team,” said team mentor David Hussey afterwards.
“He's been playing very, very nicely with the bat, the ball, and in the field. So hopefully nothing too serious and he can come back and light the competition up like we know Andre Russell can do."
The severity of the injury is yet to be determined but Cricket West Indies will be hoping for the best as Russell has been named in the West Indies squad for the ICC T20 World Cup set for next month. The West Indies begin the defence of their title on October 23.
Russell has suffered from a raft of injuries over the past few seasons and underwent knee surgery following the West Indies disastrous ICC ODI World Cup in England in June 2019.
Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier both tested positive for COVID-19 and are now isolating away from the squad.
The rest of the Knight Riders' group returned negative results, though a daily testing schedule has now been put in place to quickly identify any further cases that occur.
No new date for the round-robin game against the Royal Challengers has been announced.
India has seen a sharp rise in COVID numbers in the country in recent weeks, with the total number in excess of 19million since the start of the global pandemic.
However, this is the first time there have been confirmed cases within the IPL bubble. The Twenty20 tournament returned to India this year after the 2020 edition was staged in the United Arab Emirates.
"Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier were found to be positive in the third round of testing in the last four days. All other team members have tested negative for COVID -19," a statement on the IPL website read.
"Both the players have isolated themselves from the rest of the squad. The medical team is in continuous touch with the duo and are monitoring their health. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders have now moved towards a daily testing routine to identify any other possible cases and treat them at the earliest.
"The medical team is also determining the close and casual contacts of the two positive cases during the 48 hours prior to collection of the sample that returned the positive test results.
"The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the Kolkata Knight Riders prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved and all measures are being taken in that endeavour."
Kolkata sit seventh in the IPL table after two wins in seven games. They lost by seven wickets to Delhi Capitals in their most recent outing, which took place last Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
KKR had already dispatched of the Sunrisers with an eight-wicket victory in the first qualifier on Tuesday, and pulled off another superb performance to clinch the IPL for a third time.
Mitchell Starc stifled SRH from the start, taking Abhishek Sharma for two runs off five balls before Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught Travis Head for a duck.
In a stellar bowling display, Starc eventually finished with 2-14, while Andre Russell chipped in with a 3-19 late on.
The Sunrisers failed to gain any momentum on a low-scoring day, with Pat Cummins the top scorer with 24 off 19, as SRH finished with a measly 113 all out in the 19th over.
Despite Sunil Narine's early exit, SRH failed to give themselves any hope as Venkatesh Iyer came on to plunder 52 not out from 26 balls, including three boundaries, adding to Gurbaz's 39.
Shreyas Iyer then came on to help KKR over the line with six runs, seeing the win out for his team with 57 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: KKR bowlers come out on top
Russell has taken 18 wickets in the IPL this year, the most he has taken in any edition, going past 17 from 2022.
The Sunrisers registered the lowest-ever run total in an IPL final (batting first or second), beating the previous record of 125.
SRH lost 29 wickets during the powerplay overs in the IPL in 2024, the most by any team in this phase this season; it is also the second most wickets they have lost during the powerplay in a single IPL season (31 in 2013).
England batter Bairstow scored a stunning 108 not out off 48 balls with nine maximums as the Kings somehow chased down a victory target of 262 with eight balls to spare at Eden Gardens.
Bairstow was helped by Shashank Singh, who smashed an unbeaten 68 from 28 deliveries with eight maximums of his own in a remarkable display of hitting.
Hosts KKR thought they had done enough for victory when a fast start from Phil Salt (75 from 37) and Sunil Narine (71 off 32) set them up a huge total of 261-6, but the Kings battled back to earn a famous triumph.
Data Debrief
This astonishing IPL 2024 campaign has already seen Sunrisers Hyderabad twice break the record for the highest innings score in the competition and now the Kings have made more history by recording the biggest chase ever seen in T20 cricket.
This was Bairstow’s second IPL hundred, more than five years after he registered his first while playing for SRH in 2019, and it has given the Kings just their third victory of the season to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Knight Riders only managed to post 169 at Wankhede Stadium as Iyer and Manish Pandey (42) were the only Kolkata batters to pass 15 runs on Friday.
Nuwan Thushara registered figures of 3-42 and Jasprit Bumrah picked up three wickets for just 18 runs as Kolkata limped to a target that appeared somewhat reachable for Mumbai.
Yet Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir all failed to get going in response for the Indians before Suryakumar Yadav's 35-ball 56 promised a tense ending.
However, Andre Russell forced Suryakumar to launch a full toss into the sky for a simple Phil Salt catch – with the West Indian one of three Kolkata bowlers to collect two wickets, along with Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy (both 2-22).
Suryakumer's dismissal teed up Starc's three-wicket blitz to end the innings with 4-33, moving the Knight Riders up to second in the table as Tim David's quickfire 24 proved redundant for Mumbai.
Data Debrief: Iyer the hero as Mumbai play-off hopes stunted
Having been reduced to 57-5 in the first innings, Iyer stood up with his season-best 70 off just 52 balls – including six fours and three maximums – guiding Kolkata to a commendable target.
This defeat left Mumbai ninth in the table, some six points adrift of the play-offs with just three games remaining – they may live to rue not capitalising on a promising first-innings position.
A dominant KKR eased to an eight-wicket win with 38 balls remaining, with Mitchell Starc inspiring the victory.
The Sunrisers chose to bat first but were in unfamiliar territory at 13-2 inside two overs as Starc bowled Travis Head, who did not get a single run, before Andre Russell caught Abhishek Sharma.
Starc took two more wickets in his second over, finishing with 3-34 as the pick of KKR’s bowlers.
Pat Cummings ensured SRH did not finish with a sub-140 total, knocking 30 before being caught by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as they set a target of 160.
Cummings then conceded 20 runs in his first over but eventually bounced out Sunil Narine for 21 after Gurbaz was caught for 23.
Venkatesh Iyer finished with an unbeaten 51 alongside Shreyas Iyer, who top-scored with a 24-ball 58 to comfortably help KKR reach 164-2.
SRH will have another chance to make it to the final in the second qualifier where they will face either the Rajasthan Royals or Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.
Data Debrief: Playoff partners
The Iyers' 97 not out off 44 balls is the second-highest scoring partnership for KKR in the playoffs.
Cummins and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth's 33-run partnership is SRH's highest for the 10th wicket in IPL, breaking the record of 22 between Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar, but it was not enough to trouble KKR.
A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.
KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.
The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.
It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.
