Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) set a target of 182 runs for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). KKR’s skipper Ajinkya Rahane led from the front after the previous match was washed out due to rain against PBKS. The likes of Angrkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green & Rovman Powell made handy contributions. KKR’s batting unit clicked as a unit, even LSG’s bowlers were seen having a clear plan to swindle KKR’s batters.
Ajinkya Rahane & Angrkrish Raghuvanshi demolish LSG in powerplay
LSG was happy to bowl, given the surface had some moisture & the wicket was also dry. Finn Allen was getting into the groove in the 2nd over, but a miscued shot at deep third man proved to be his departure (9 runs in 8 balls) from the dismissal. Angkrish Raghuvanshi got a promotion to the no.3 position, who has been the most successful batter with 2 half-centuries in 3 matches.
Ajinkya Rahane & Angkrish Raghuvanshi attacked in unison. The duo made sure that they didn’t get pressurized by a string of dot balls. Even when Digvesh Rathi was introduced in the 5th over, Rahane played 3 dot balls back to back, but then hit 2 fours. Avesh Khan was brutally targeted by Raghuvanshi, who smashed him for 2 fours and 1 six as KKR scored 56 runs in the first 6 overs for the loss of 1 wicket.
LSG bowlers pull back things drastically in the middle overs
Ajinkya & Raghuvanshi rotated the strike on a regular basis as the surface was offering turn. Digvesh Rathi & Manimaran Siddharth were making good use of the crease & creating angle to perturb batters. KKR scored 98-1 at the end of 10 overs.
Digvesh Rathi broke the dangerous-looking partnership of Rahane & Raghuvanshi (84 runs in 52 balls); Rahane (41 runs in 24 balls & hit 4 fours and 2 sixes). KKR skipper gave a catch to Shami at mid-wicket as KKR’s score was 99-2. Raghuvanshi was dismissed in the very next over by Siddharth as he holed the ball to long on (45 runs in 33 balls & hit 5 fours and 2 sixes). KKR’s score at that time was 105-3 in 11.4 overs.
KKR had an odd phase where they didn’t strike a boundary for 25 balls till 14 overs. During that, Rinku Singh was castled by Avesh Khan as his around-the-wicket tactic worked exceptionally well. KKR’s score at the end of 14 overs was 112-4. KKR somewhat lost the momentum from 11 to 14 overs as they scored a paltry 14 runs & lost 3 wickets. A strategic time-out was taken at 14 overs by LSG.
Rovman Powell & Cameron Green’s fireworks help KKR flourish in death overs
Rovman Powell broke the shackles for KKR in the 15th over; he took on Siddharth for a six & four. Prince Yadav, too, was dismantled by Rovman Powell for boundaries as all of a sudden, KKR was back in the game; the hosts’ score was 144-4 in 17 overs. Cameron Green on the other hand, was struggling against both pacers & spinners, due to which Rovman had no option but to go all-out attack.
There was a brilliant exhibition of death bowling by Prince, Avesh & Shami. Despite Green & Powell being set completely, the duo wasn’t able to clear the rope on a consistent basis. KKR ended on 181-4 as Cameron Green at the end got some boundaries under his belt, who scored 32 runs in 24 balls, & Rovman Powell scored 39 runs in 24 balls & hit 4 fours and 2 sixes. The unbeaten partnership of 70 runs in 40 balls helped the hosts to take the team out of trouble.
Who’s winning, KKR or LSG?
LSG would have taken the target of 182 runs at the start of the innings, but given how the wicket has panned out, KKR would believe that they are in the match. KKR need early wickets & to be precise they need to break the back of LSG’s batting line-up, i.e., Mitchell Marsh & Aiden Markram. KKR’s star spinner Sunil Narine would be the difference in the end. LSG looks the favorite to win the match, as a 60-70 runs power play can make things easier for them.
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