Kolkata’s batting lineup may be the centre of attention, but their attack makes sure that no one’s eyes are diverted from them. They defeated the Lucknow Super Giants in their own backyard after breaking through the Wankhede bastion for the first time in twelve years. Although Lucknow hasn’t always been an easy place to dominate the circumstances, Knight Riders have triumphed again, making them the current leaders.
Although their bowling unit raised some red flags, they are tightening things up on all fronts as the play-offs get near. When net run rate might have an impact, Kolkata’s batsmen produced another impressive display, and an all-around performance from their attack handed them a commanding 98-run victory. Their bowlers, like their batsmen, are starting to display a more vicious side.
With a cushion of 235 runs, they went on the attack, fully aware Lucknow would come hard at them. After Arshin Kulkarni perished early in the chase, KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis had reignited interest. But the necessary intent was missing all along. They tried, but Kolkata’s attack wasn’t going to wilt under pressure. It was always going to be a matter of time until Lucknow lost the way. And when Rahul departed in the eighth over, their slide began.
After then, Kolkata gained control of the game as Lucknow lost Deepak Hooda, Stoinis, and Nicholas Pooran in the following four overs. From there, Lucknow could only go deeper into the game while keeping net run rate in mind because they were one of the teams in a mid-table deadlock. However, as Lucknow’s innings came to a conclusion in 16.1 overs, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, and the others had different ideas. Time will tell how much harm that created.
Knight’s Sunny
The Kolkata Knight Riders’ ability to win games with the bat during the Powerplay is quite amazing. They now do this on a regular basis. However, what they accomplished at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium was really amazing. Out of all the IPL grounds, this one seems to be the most reminiscent of a bygone T20 era, where teams could win games with slow, two-paced decks. Large outfields and a strong attack tailored to the pitch meant that teams had not yet reached 200.
The batters from Kolkata, particularly their openers, made sure that statistic was history. As usual, the tone was set by Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, who, for once, got off to a poor start. Kolkata’s middle and lower order then finished the job. On these two-paced pitches, batting units, particularly the top order, have been content to settle with totals of 180 as par when batting first. Batsmen have repeatedly found it difficult to sustain huge hits in Lucknow, particularly when facing the old ball. It’s a place where, unless the top order creates a solid foundation, trying to play catch-up at the end might be fatal, as Kolkata’s batting lineup ultimately demonstrated.
However, Salt and Narine thought otherwise. They have attempted to break through the glass ceiling throughout this season, and on Sunday, they had the same goal in mind. Before Lucknow’s bowlers could comprehend what was happening, they smoothly shifted into fifth gear, and the customary carnage began.
In the opening over bowled by Marcus Stoinis, Salt was the first off the block with ten. Mohsin Khan hit the first six in the second over, and Salt responded to Naveen-ul-Haq with two clean boundaries. And the party was officially underway by the time Narine cleared space, turned a yorker into a low full toss, and hit it over cover.
After that boundary, Narine’s rhythm became apparent on the second delivery of the fourth over, dispelling any reservations about it. This sluggish full one from Mohsin, wide of off-stump, looked excellent, but Narine simply smashed it over the covers with his forehand. Mohsin must have been devastated because in that same over, he would give Narine two more boundaries and a six. In the final two overs of the Powerplay, Lucknow did manage to regain control, allowing just 13 runs to be scored and taking Salt’s wicket thanks to a catch by Naveen.
After that, Narine would have Angkrish Raghuvanshi as his second violin. Giving the strike back to Narine, who didn’t spare a single Lucknow bowler, made him delighted. Sixes flew off Narine’s bat, and he was in no mood to give the hosts the upper hand despite a calm over from Ravi Bishnoi. Little helped by the fact that Lucknow finished it up by bowling to Narine’s strengths, as Kolkata’s run rate escalated to 11 runs by the end of the tenth over. Beyond that point, surpassing 200 seemed like a formality.
Truth be said, though, Lucknow had a strong resurgence with the old ball. Following Narine’s dismissal for a 39-ball 81 (6x4s, 7x6s) in the 12th over, the remaining Kolkata batsmen had one clear goal in mind: to keep going after the bowlers. Even as the boundaries continued to come in, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer all contributed to Lucknow’s persistent chipping away at the wickets. Kolkata amassed 57 runs in the last four overs alone, posting 235/6.
