KOLKATA: An explosive half-century by Phil Salt and his century partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer at Eden Gardens here on Sunday helped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) register their first-ever win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
KKR are in the second spot, with four wins and a loss in five matches. It gives them a total of eight points. LSG are in the fifth spot with three wins and three losses, giving them six points.
In the run chase of 162, KKR got some extra runs in the first over itself, with pacer Shamar Joseph throwing some wides. The first over produced 22 runs, including a four and six by Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, respectively.
In the next over, Mohsin Khan struck for LSG, removing Narine for six runs in six balls, with Marcus Stoinis taking a fine catch in the cover region. KKR was 22/1 in 1.3 overs.
Salt was joined by Angkrish Raghuvansh at the crease. Salt started the third over by smashing Krunal Pandya for three successive fours. Raghuvanshi did not last long, as Mohsin got him caught behind by KL Rahul for just seven runs. His knock had just one boundary. KKR was 42/2 in 3.1 overs.
KKR brought their 50 runs in 5.1 overs, as Salt smashed Yash Thakur for two successive boundaries. The two-time champions ended their six overs of powerplay at 58/2, with skipper Shreyas Iyer (5*) and Phil Salt (30*) unbeaten.
In the 10th over, Salt smashed three boundaries to Arshad Khan, reaching his half-century in 26 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. KKR reached the 100-run mark in 9.4 overs.
Halfway through the innings, KKR were 101/2, with Salt (51*) and Iyer (21*) unbeaten. For the few overs, Iyer-Salt mostly dealt in singles and strike rotation, until Salt let his willow lose in the 14th over, hitting Yash for three boundaries. Smashing Mohsin for a massive six over midwicket, Salt helped KKR reach the 150-run mark in 14.2 overs.
Salt hit the winning runs, a boundary to finish the inning at 162/2 in 15.4 overs. Salt was unbeaten at 89* in 47 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes, Iyer was unbeaten at 38* in 38 balls, with six fours. Mohsin (2/29) was the pick of the bowlers for LSG.
Earlier, Nicholas Pooran powered the Lucknow Super Giants to a competitive total after the Kolkata Knight Riders soared high with a sensational bowling attack in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Spearheaded by Mitchell Starc, the KKR bowlers exercised control throughout the first inning. After the toss, LSG were put to bat and once again continued the trend of losing a couple of wickets in the powerplay as Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda departed without a major impact.
The South African batter started his day on a positive note, picking up two fours in the opening over of the game. Mitchell Starc spilled 10 runs in the opening over, following an effortless straight drive, followed by another four from de Kock’s bat.
In the next over, Vaibhav Arora forced out a thick edge from de Kock to end his stay for a score of 10(8). Deepak Hooda, who has featured as an impact substitute for LSG, was included in the playing XI in place of Devdutt Padikkal. His lean run with the bat continued after Ramandeep Singh took a sharp catch, handing Starc his first wicket of the game.
K L Rahul and Ayush Badoni forged a 39-run stand to repair the damage inflicted in the powerplay. KKR’s dynamic all-rounder, Andre Russell, sent Rahul (39) back, who was looking to shift gears. Varun Chakaravarthy reaped rewards for Marcus Stoinis’s mistimed shot. Sunil Narine came in to swoop Badnoi’s wicket (29).
Nicholas Pooran arrived on the crease and waged a lone war as he went all guns blazing with luck on his side. He dealt in sixes, with Krunal Pandya playing the anchor role in the partnership. Fireworks were expected from Pooran’s bat, while Shreyas Iyer entrusted his faith in Starc to bowl the final over.
On the first ball, Starc repaid Iyer’s faith by dismissing Pooran for 45. LSG gambled for the final five balls as Arshad Khan was brought in as an impact substitute. After conceding a boundary following an edge, Starc bowled back-to-back dot balls to put pressure on LSG. Arshad managed to rotate the strike, leaving the mantle on Pandya to end the innings on a high note.
Pandya mistimed his shot, leaving the impact sub to face the final ball. Starc produced his signature toe-breaking yorker to leave Arshad baffled in his crease, as the ball crashed into the stumps.
Brief scores: 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). (ANI)
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