Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders defeated KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants by 8 wickets in match 28 of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on April 14 (Sunday). Phil Salt played the heroic role with his blazing knock of 89 runs not out off just 47 balls and led KKR to a comfortable win with 26 balls still remaining.
KKR won the toss and elected to bowl first. They managed to restrict on a low score of 161/7 in 20 overs. Then chased it down in just 15.4 overs with 8 wickets still in their hands and demonstrated absolute domination at their home. This is also KKR's first win against LSG and Lucknow's second straight loss while defending a 160-plus score. Prior to the last game against Delhi Capitals, Lucknow were 13-0 while defending 160-plus scores.
KKR's dominant show
Kolkata Knight Riders showcased dominant performance in both batting and bowling departments. Bowling first, KKR restricted LSG on 161/7. Mitchell Starc was the best performer with ball as he picked up three wickets in his four-over spell and just gave away 28 runs. This was also his best performance in the tournament so far.
As for LSG, apart from KL Rahul's 39 and Nicholas Pooran's 45 no other batter could take a stand and as a result, the visitors couldn't post a good total.
KKR also lost two early wickets of Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi inside the powerplay but LSG could not capitalise on it. Their debutant Shamar Joseph failed to deliver and even leaked 47 runs in four overs. Returning Mohsin Khan did pick up two wickets but it was not enough for the LSG side.
Phil Salt did not allow the pressure to build on the hosts at any point of their innings as he kept scoring boundaries and big shots. He also got the support from captain Shreyas Iyer who held the other end firmly and scored run-a-ball 38.
LSG out of top four
This loss against KKR have thrown LSG out of the top four. This is their second consecutive loss and now their spot in the top four is taken by Sunrisers Hyderabad. The tournament is still in its early stages so, Lucknow have a clear chance of making a comeback here and getting back to the winning ways. As for KKR, they are still standing strong on the number 2 spot with 8 points.
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