Kolkata stays in playoff contention with 4-wicket win over Mumbai in Indian Premier League

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

Manish Pandey (45) and Rovman Powell (40) did bulk of the scoring as Kolkata reached 148-6 for their sixth win in the last seven games to move to sixth place.

Mumbai's disappointing season continued when it slumped to 41-4 inside the power play before Corbin Bosch’s quickfire 32 not out off 18 balls lifted them to 147-8.

“After that first win, we started believing,” captain Ajinkya Rahane said of Kolkata's turnaround that started with a victory over Rajasthan Royals.

“We kept a nice and positive atmosphere and preparation has been fantastic. When Green started bowling (in the IPL) we wanted Powell to get in and what an impact he has made.”

Kolkata’s million-dollar signing Cameron Green (2-23) and Saurabh Dubey (2-34) had Mumbai reeling within the first six overs, and the innings couldn’t gain momentum even after rain interrupted the play for almost an hour.

Captain Hardik Pandya made 26 in his return game from injury before he was clean bowled by Sunil Narine, who returned with impressive figures of 1-13 off his four overs.

Kolkata also lost two early wickets of Rahane (21) and Finn Allen (8) while Green holed out at deep fine leg after scoring only 4 off 8 balls before Pandey and Powell put the chase back on track with a 64-run stand.

Jasprit Bumrah, who had a lean season with the ball, clean bowled Pandey with a perfect off-cutter and Powell was smartly snapped by Bosch at backward point before Kolkata reached the target with seven balls to spare when Rinku Singh smashed Will Jacks over his head for a winning boundary.

Earlier, Green struck twice in one over when Pandey at point held onto a well-judged catch of Ryan Rickelton, who top-edged the seamer and then two balls later the Australian found the outside edge of Naman Dhir’s bat.

Dubey kept Mumbai under pressure on a wicket where the ball was gripping as he got the big wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, who played onto the fast bowler. Tilak Varma (20) and Pandya struggled to raise a 43-run stand before Bosch smashed two sixes and three fours in the last two overs to give Mumbai some hope.

“I don’t mind playing on such wickets where bowlers have something to do,” Pandya said. “IPL is becoming batting dominated where bowlers are helpless ... so I kind of enjoyed this pitch.”

Mumbai had been untidy in fielding throughout the season and on Wednesday Deepak Chahar missed Powell’s catch in the outfield before the West Indian batter hit four boundaries and two sixes in his 30-ball knock.

“I don’t know, we have been quite poor (in the fielding) throughout the season,” Pandya said. “No one wants to do it, but there’s no hiding away, we haven’t taken those chances.”

Mumbai remained ninth and will round off their season with the last league game against Rajasthan.

Rajasthan could seal the final playoff spot if they beat Mumbai. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already qualified for the playoffs.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Manish Pandey during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Kolkata , India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Rovman Powell plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Kolkata , India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Manish Pandey plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Kolkata , India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Mumbai Indians' Corbin Bosch plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Kolkata , India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine, right, celebrates with captain Ajinkya Rahane the wicket of Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, in Kolkata , India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona prisoner convicted of killing another man by throwing gasoline at him and lighting a match was put to death Wednesday, the first of three executions planned this week around the U.S.

Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. PDT following a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. McGill was convicted of murder in the death of Charles Perez, who was attacked with his girlfriend in a north Phoenix apartment on July 13, 2002.

It was the first lethal injection carried out this year in Arizona, and McGill didn’t appear to be resisting at any point during the procedure. After a lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing, he began breathing heavily and made a snoring sound. And, about 21 minutes after the IV insertion process began, he was pronounced dead.

While the state was criticized for having difficulty in inserting IV lines during executions in 2022, it took just one attempt on each of McGill’s arms to successfully insert IVs.

“Today’s process went according to plan,” said John Barcello, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Barcello quoted McGill’s last words as: “I just want to thank everyone for being so accommodating and nice.”

Before the injection began, McGill looked at the witnesses, smiled and nodded. Media witness Josh Kelety from The Associated Press said he heard McGill at one point say: “I’m going home soon.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, whose office pressed for the execution to be carried out, said her thoughts were with the victims.

Media witness Sean Rice from Phoenix television station KPN said the execution was carried out smoothly.

"I didn’t see any issue at all finding a vein on either arm,” he said. Rice said he also observed a slight twitching on the right side of McGill’s head about four minutes before the inmate was pronounced dead.

Authorities said that in 2002 McGill threw gasoline at Perez and Perez’s girlfriend, Nova Banta, as they sat on a sofa in the apartment, setting them on fire. Perez and Banta had accused McGill of stealing a gun from the apartment before the attack. At the time, McGill was using methamphetamine and hadn’t slept in several days.

Banta survived, but Perez died.

Twelve people have been executed so far this year in the United States. Tennessee and Florida each are scheduled to carry out an execution Thursday.

At the Arizona trial, Banta testified that McGill had told her and Perez not to talk behind people's backs. Before they could respond, McGill lit them on fire, authorities said.

Perez and Banta ran out of the apartment. Another man who lived in the apartment used a blanket to put out the flames on Banta, who suffered third-degree burns over three-quarters of her body. Perez died later at a hospital in extreme pain, prosecutors said.

Banta identified McGill as the attacker at trial.

Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before convicting McGill of murder in Perez’s death in October 2004. He also was convicted of attempted murder for attacking Banta, arson and endangerment of people who escaped without injuries when the fire forced them to flee the apartment and a nearby unit where flames spread.

McGill’s lawyers had argued for leniency by presenting evidence about abuse he suffered as a child as well as mental impairment and psychological immaturity. The jury ultimately returned the death sentence.

This spring, McGill’s lawyers made a last-ditch bid to get him resentenced, but a lower-court judge rejected it. The Arizona Supreme Court also declined a request from McGill’s lawyers to postpone the execution.

McGill, who declined an interview request from The Associated Press, waived his right to seek clemency.

Arizona last applied the death penalty in 2025, executing Richard Kenneth Djerf for the 1993 killings of four members of a Phoenix family and Aaron Gunches for the 2002 fatal shooting of his girlfriend’s ex-husband.

The state carried out three executions in 2022 following a nearly eight-year hiatus brought on by difficulties obtaining execution drugs and by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched. In that 2014 execution, Joseph Wood was injected with 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours, leading him to snort repeatedly and gasp hundreds of times before he died.

The state’s current execution protocol calls for administering two syringes of pentobarbital, a powerful sedative.

FILE - A sign points in the direction of the Arizona State Prison in Florence, Ariz., March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)

FILE - This undated photo provided by Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry shows prisoner Leroy McGill, who is scheduled to be executed on May 20, 2026, in the 2002 killing of Charles Perez . (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP, File)