Kolkata Knight Riders moved to the top of the points table with a resounding 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow on 5th May 2024. It was a superb batting performance by KKR as Sunil Narine and Phil Salt raced away to 61 runs in quick time laying a strong foundation.
Sunil Narine looked impressive with a well-made 81. Despite Andre Russell and Rinku Singh not contributing much, Ramandeep Singh and Shreyas Iyer played quickfire knocks that helped KKR post 235 on the board. The bowling also looked impressive as they bowled out LSG cheaply.
KKR has the same number of points as RR but due to a better net run rate achieved in the LSG game, Shreyas Iyer and Co are almost guaranteed a place in the playoff stage. They suffered only 3 losses against Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings so far.
3 reasons why KKR are doing well in IPL 2024:
- Explosive Batting Unit
Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting unit has looked very dangerous in the entire tournament so far. They hammered their highest total of 272 for 7 against Delhi Capitals. Phil Salt and Sunil Narine provided flying starts to the tournaments that laid a strong foundation for other batters for the likes of Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Shreyas Iyer to hit big shots and put enough pressure on opponent bowlers.
The lower order comprising Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, and other batters provided the impetus to help KKR post big totals.
- All-round contribution by Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine has been the star for Kolkata Knight Riders this season so far. He opened the innings with Phil Salt and provided flying starts in the first six overs. Narine is currently 3rd in the Orange Cap list with 461 runs from 11 matches (11 innings) at a strike rate of 183.66 including 1 century and 3 half-centuries to his name. His best score came with a superb century against Kolkata Knight Riders.
With the ball, Narine has done brilliantly so far picking 14 wickets from 11 matches (11 innings) at an economy of 6.61 runs per over. He provided wickets when KKR needed the most and helped them win matches with match-winning efforts.
- Good Bowling Effort
Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling was a little concern initially but stood up when the team needed it the most. Varun Chakvarthy is the leading wicket-taker for KKR this season with 16 wickets from 11 matches (11 innings) including best figures of 3 for 16.
Sunil Narine is currently at 14 wickets from 11 matches (11 innings) at an economy of 6.61 including best figures of 2 for 22. Harshit Rana also proved his worth, picking 14 wickets from 9 matches (8 innings) at an economy of 9.56 and best figures of 3 for 24 against LSG on 5th May.
Russell picked wickets for KKR when the team needed the most. He has grabbed a total of 13 wickets from 11 matches (11 innings) at an economy of 10.16 with best figures of 3 for 25.
Mitchell Starc is showing improvement in his bowling after a disappointing start to the tournament. He has grabbed 12 wickets from 10 matches (10 innings) with best figures of 4 for 33 against MI.
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