Phil Salt’s blazing fifty and his impressive partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their historic first victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
KKR, currently second in the standings with four wins and a single loss in five matches, has amassed a total of eight points. On the other hand, LSG sits in the fifth position, with three wins and three losses, totaling six points. During the chase of 162 runs, KKR gained momentum early on, capitalizing on extras in the first over bowled by Shamar Joseph.
The initial over saw 22 runs, including a boundary by Sunil Narine and a six by Phil Salt. However, LSG’s Mohsin Khan struck, dismissing Narine for six runs in six balls. KKR stood at 22/1 after 1.3 overs. Salt’s aggressive batting, along with contributions from Angkrish Raghuvansh, pushed KKR to 50 runs in just 5.1 overs, with Salt smashing two consecutive boundaries off Yash Thakur.
In their power-packed performance, the two-time champions concluded their six overs of powerplay at 58/2, with skipper Shreyas Iyer (5*) and Phil Salt (30*) standing firm. Salt’s explosive batting continued in the 10th over, where he smashed three boundaries off Arshad Khan, reaching his half-century in just 26 balls with eight fours and two sixes. KKR crossed the 100-run mark in 9.4 overs, standing at 101/2 at the halfway mark with Salt (51*) and Iyer (21*) unbeaten.
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As the innings progressed, Salt and Iyer maintained a steady flow of singles and rotated the strike until Salt unleashed his aggressive side in the 14th over, hammering Yash for three boundaries.
A massive six over midwicket against Mohsin in the 14.2 overs propelled KKR past the 150-run mark. Salt’s unbeaten 89* off 47 balls, adorned with 12 fours and three sixes, along with Iyer’s unbeaten 38* off 38 balls with six fours, sealed the victory for KKR, finishing the inning at 162/2 in 15.4 overs.
Mohsin Khan’s bowling figures of 2/29 stood out for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Earlier in the match, Nicholas Pooran’s stellar performance powered Lucknow Super Giants to a competitive total after Kolkata Knight Riders delivered an impressive bowling attack in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Led by Mitchell Starc, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowlers maintained dominance throughout the first innings. After losing the toss, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were sent to bat and continued the trend of losing wickets in the powerplay, with Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda departing early.
De Kock kicked off his innings positively with two fours in the opening over, where Starc conceded 10 runs, including a straight drive and another boundary. In the subsequent over, Vaibhav Arora dismissed de Kock with a thick edge, ending his brief stay at the crease.
KL Rahul and Ayush Badoni then formed a 39-run partnership to stabilize LSG’s innings. However, Andre Russell’s entry into the attack saw Rahul’s dismissal as he tried to accelerate.
Varun Chakaravarthy capitalized on Marcus Stoinis’s mistimed shot, while Sunil Narine took Badoni’s wicket. Nicholas Pooran played a lone hand with aggressive strokes, supported by Krunal Pandya’s anchoring role.
As the innings progressed, Starc’s final over proved pivotal, dismissing Pooran and ending LSG’s innings on a challenging note. Brief Score: Lucknow Super Giants: 161/7 (Nicholas Pooran 45, KL Rahul 39; Mitchell Starc 3-28) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders: 162/2 in 15.4 overs (Phil Salt 89*, Shreyas Iyer 38*, Mohsin Khan 2/29).
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