Kolkata Knight Riders have been unstoppable in the ongoing IPL 2024. After a brilliant win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, they travelled south to pick up comfortable victories against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and then went onto defeat Delhi Capitals in Vizag. Be it with the bat or the ball, the Shreyas Iyer-led side thrashed the hosts by 106 runs, moving to the top of the table.
Deciding to bat first, Sunil Narine gave a phenomenal start to the visitors. The veteran all-rounder smashed 85 runs off 39 deliveries, while Angkrish Ranghuvanshi, batting for the first time in the IPL made 54 runs off 27 deliveries.
After he got out to Anrich Nortje, Andre Russell took care of the business as the West Indies international was promoted up to number four and in return, he smacked all over the park. The all-rounder hit 41 runs off 19 deliveries, while Rinku Singh towards the fag end played a cameo of 26 runs off eight deliveries.
Courtesy of their ferocious batting, they posted 272 runs on the board in the first innings, which is five less than the highest team total in IPL history. When it came to the chase, DC were stunned by KKR pacers as they were 33/4 at one stage. Rishabh Pant after the match clarified that the team had planned to go after the chase, which might be the reason behind their poor start.
DC batters took no time to settle down and went on glory from the very beginning. It made it easier for Vaibhav Arora and Mitchell Starc as they picked up two wickets each, courtesy of some of the rash shots that DC batters played. However, after their dismissal, Pant and Tristan Stubbs took over and stitched a 95-run partnership to save DC from collapsing. Both cricketers made a half-century each but it was far from that it was asked as they suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kolkata.
1. Unstoppable Narine, unstoppable Kolkata
Every team more or less understands that if you can’t stop Narine with the bat, then it’s not your game to win. Interestingly, the cricketer should have gone back to the pavilion much earlier as he edged one to Pant but the onfield umpire gave it not out. The Delhi skipper too didn’t go for DRS as Narine went on to add 61 runs more. In the end, he made 85 runs, taking DC far away from the match. This might also be a warning for other teams that if you can’t find a way to send back Narine to the pavilion, he will simply destroy you.
2. Angkrish Raghuvanshi - KKR give birth to another future superstar
Angkrish Raghuvanshi won the U19 World Cup in 2022 but there was no such hype about him. Nevertheless, KKR, who are brilliant at scouting talents, picked up him in the auction, polished him and is allowing him to make a name for himself. Previously, the franchise scouted talents like Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh among many others and looks like Raghuvanshi is the latest to join the ranks. The 18-year-old has flamboyance and batted with courage, which is a brilliant sign as it shows that he didn’t care about getting out but focused on scoring more runs.
Also Read - Shot of the Day - Angkrish Raghuvanshi collects maximum in Suryakumar Yadav style
3. Old Wine, New wine - Everything tastes better for KKR
Andre Russell, the old wine in KKR once again delivered with the bat. He has been very consistent this season, which is a brilliant sign for the two-time champions. If he continues to play in the same manner, the franchise can very well dream of their third. On the other hand, the new wine, Vaibhav Arora picked up two wickets in the powerplay and three in total. Since Harshit Rana started and did well for KKR in the earlier matches, one thought that Vaibhav might have to wait to for his opportunity. However, KKR introduced him in the third match and he has been ‘sensational’ as Shreyas Iyer described in the post-match presentation.
Losing skipper Rishabh Pant said:
We were just all over the place (with the ball), we could have done better, and it is one of those days I feel. As a batting unit, we talked about going hard (after the target) and that's how we approach these games because it is better to be all-out trying to go for the total than not chase it down. It was quite loud (the venue) and couldn't see the timer on the screen (talking about the non-DRS moments) and there was some issue with the screen as well, there are some things you can control and some you cannot control, you just need to go with the flow. Time to reflect better as a team, as an individual and come back strong in the next game. I am enjoying each and every day (talking about his fitness and comeback) and cricket has its own ups and downs, and at the same time you can try and give your best as an individual.
Winning skipper Shreyas Iyer said:
No, it it didn't to be honest, we thought we will reach 210-220 but 270 was an icing on the cake. I said in a pre-match interview that Sunny's job is to take us off to a good start, if he doesn't get us off, that's also okay. (On Raghuvanshi) He was fearless from ball one, his mindset is phenomenal, the way he played his shots were pleasing to the eye. It's great to see all the bowlers stepping up at the right time and capitalizing on the opportunities. (On Harshit Rana's injury) I also don't know, on the field he was holding his shoulder. I have been in that situation before. Vaibhav Arora took crucial wickets for us, he stood up for us tonight.
POTM Sunil Narine said:
Cricket is all about batting, so to contribute with the bat is pleasing but I also enjoy my bowling. (On batting down the order with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) We had sufficient batters, so opening was not needed then. At the end of the day, it is about what the team requires. Batting with Salt is good, he takes the pressure off me so it's good to bat with him. On a good wicket like that, we bowled well and were on the money, so a total team effort from us tonight.
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