Going top in style
The focus may be on Kolkata’s batting lineup, but their attack is keeping everyone’s attention. After breaking through the Wankhede citadel for the first time in 12 years, they defeated Lucknow Super Giants in their own backyard. Lucknow has not been an easy venue to master the conditions right away, but Knight Riders have done so with another statement win, propelling them to the top of the rankings.
There were concerns about their bowling unit, but as the playoffs approach, they are tightening the screws on all fronts. After their batsmen put on another power-packed performance, an all-round effort from Kolkata’s attack resulted in a massive 98-run victory. Their bowlers, like their batsmen, are showing signs of ruthlessness.
With a 235-run lead, they launched an attack, fully aware that Lucknow would come after them. After Arshin Kulkarni died early in the chase, KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis sparked renewed interest. However, the necessary intent was missing all along. They tried, but Kolkata’s attack was not going to fold under pressure. Lucknow was bound to lose its way eventually. And when Rahul left in the eighth over, their slide started.
Lucknow lost Deepak Hooda, Stoinis, and Nicholas Pooran in the next four overs as Kolkata took control of the game. From there, with Lucknow among the teams in a mid-table jam, there was only one way for them to take the game deep while keeping net run rate in mind. But Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, and the rest had other ideas, and Lucknow’s innings ended in 16.1 overs. Only time will tell how much damage it caused.
Sunny by Knight
It is remarkable how the Kolkata Knight Riders continue to win games with the bat in the Powerplay. They’ve now made it a habit. However, what they accomplished at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium was truly remarkable. This has been the IPL venue that most resembles a previous era of T20s, when teams could win games with slow, two-paced decks. Large outfields and a powerful attack tailored to the conditions meant it was a ground where teams had yet to reach 200.
Kolkata batsmen, particularly their openers, made sure that statistic became history. As usual, Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, who began slowly for a change, set the tone before Kolkata’s middle and lower orders finished the job. Batting units, particularly the top order, have settled for 180-point totals when batting first on these two-paced pitches. Batsmen have repeatedly struggled to sustain big hits in Lucknow, particularly against the old ball. As Kolkata’s batting lineup demonstrated in the end, it is a venue where, unless the top order establishes a solid foundation, attempting to catch up at the end may be suicide.
But Salt and Narine had different ideas. They have tried to break through the glass ceiling throughout this campaign, and their intention was no different on Sunday. They seamlessly accelerated into fifth gear before Lucknow’s bowlers could react, and the usual carnage ensued.
Salt was the first to come off the block, scoring 10 in Marcus Stoinis’ first over. Mohsin Khan delivered the first six in the second over, followed by two crisp boundaries from Salt to Naveen-ul-Haq. By the time Narine made room, converted a yorker into a low full toss, and hit it over cover, the party had officially begun.
That boundary got Narine going, and any doubts about his rhythm were dispelled with the second delivery of the fourth over. Mohsin’s slow full one, wide of the off-stump, looked good until Narine swatted it through the covers with his forehand. It must have been crushing for Mohsin, who would concede two more boundaries and a six to Narine in the same innings. Lucknow did manage to pull the strings back in the Powerplay’s final two overs, conceding only 13 runs and with Naveen taking Salt out.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi would then play second fiddle to Narine. He was content giving the strike back to Narine, who spared no Lucknow bowler. Despite Ravi Bishnoi’s quiet over, Narine was in no mood to give the hosts momentum back, as sixes flew off his bat. Lucknow’s gift-wrapping of Narine’s strengths did little to help Kolkata’s run rate, which reached 11 runs by the end of the tenth over. From there, getting past 200 seemed like a formality.
However, with the old ball, Lucknow made a good comeback. After Narine left in the 12th over for a 39-ball 81 (6x4s, 7×6), the rest of Kolkata’s batsmen had a simple plan: keep going for the bowling. Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, and Venkatesh Iyer all contributed to Lucknow’s continued wicket-taking despite the flow of boundaries. Kolkata scored 57 runs in the final four overs, taking their total to 235/6.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 235/6 in 20 overs (Sunil Narine 81; Naveen-ul-Haq 3/49) beat Lucknow Super Giants 137 all out in 16.1 overs (Stoinis 36; Harshit Rana 3/24, Narine 1/22) by 98 runs
