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Tag: kkr

  • ‘Rohit Sharma Won’t Be At MI Next Year…’: Wasim Akram Wants Star Batter With Gautam Gambhir At KKR | cricket news

    Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram wants to see Rohit Sharma play for Kolkata Knight Riders in the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He feels the India captain won’t be part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad next year after handing over his captaincy duties to Hardik Pandya in the IPL 2024.

    Many fans were disappointed this year not seeing Rohit Sharma lead the Mumbai Indians and they even suggested that the veteran batter moves to another team for the upcoming IPL seasons. Similarly, Wasim Akram also suggested that Rohit would be a perfect fit for KKR with Gambhir as mentor. (‘Suryakumar Yadav Has To Bat At Number 3 For India In T20 World Cup 2024’, Says Brian Lara)

    “I have a feeling he won’t be at Mumbai Indians next season. I would love to see him at KKR. Imagine him open there, Gauti as a mentor, Iyer as a captain, they will have a very strong batting unit, on That wicket. He bats very well on any wicket, he is that great a player. But it will be good to see him at KKR.

    Former star India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, the ambassador of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, came out in support of skipper Rohit Sharma, backing him to lead his charges to the title in the US and the West Indies.

    Yuvraj, who shared the Indian dressing room with the current captain, watching him rise from a precociously talented youngster to one of the leading lights of Indian cricket and a modern-day batting great, said Rohit’s leadership skills and ability to stay calm under pressure will be the key to India’s chances of ending their prolonged drought in ICC events.

    “Rohit’s presence is going to be very crucial. I think we need a really good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions well under pressure. And he’s the one to take them. He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as a captain. I think we need somebody like him to captain India,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying in a release by the International Cricket Council (ICC). (After Getting Controversially Out, Now RR captain Sanju Samson Fined 30 Percent Match Fees For Breaching IPL Code Of Conduct)

    India’s trophy drought at ICC events stretches back to the 2011 ODI World Cup, which saw the team lift the world title at home under the inspiring leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

    It has been a case of so near yet so far for India over the last few years in ICC events, with last year’s ODI World Cup bearing the latest illustration of the same. After running down rivals in round-robin and knockout stages, Rohit and his charges fell to an agonizing defeat to five-time champions Australia in the title clash, prolonging their wait for a world title.

    Be it the loss in the semi-final of the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 and last year’s 50-over World Cup, Indian cricket has suffered many heartbreaks at world events over the last few years. .

    Going into the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, the fans are counting on Rohit and his boys to go all the way, as opposed to falling at the final hurdle. The bond between Yuvraj and Rohit goes back to the Mumbaikar’s early days in the Indian setup. It’s no secret that Yuvi was one of Rohit’s closest friends in the dressing room and still is.

    Yuvraj was one of the stars in the India squad when Rohit made his debut for the country. It was at the fall of the southpaw’s wicket that a young Rohit stepped onto the international cricket scene in 2007, making his first appearance for the team with the willow against Ireland.

    Their cricketing ties came full circle in 2019 when Yuvraj featured in his final Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s captaincy. Thereafter, Yuvraj announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019.

    Recalling his first impressions of the ‘Hitman’, who came to be a part of the Indian dressing room at the age of 17, Yuvi said he was struck by his humility, camaraderie and leadership qualities both on and off the field.

    “Very poor English. Very funny guy. From the streets of Borivali (in Mumbai), we always tease him. But a great guy at heart,” Yuvi said jokingly.

    “The more success he’s had, he has never changed as a person. That’s the beauty of Rohit Sharma. Fun-loving, always having fun with the guys, A great leader on the park and one of my closest friends from cricket. I really Want to see Rohit Sharma with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup medal,” the former India all-rounder signed off saying.

  • ‘The Door Is Now Closed’: Sunil Narine On Reversing Retirement Decision To Play For West Indies In T20 World Cup 2024 | cricket news

    Former West Indies bowling all-rounder Sunil Narine, who is having a terrific IPL season, won’t be reversing his retirement decision for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, insisting that the “door is now closed”. The 35-year-old last played for the West Indies in a T20 International in August 2019 before retiring from international cricket in November last year to focus on franchise T20 leagues around the world.

    But owing to his sensational form with both bat and ball for Kolkata Knight Riders this IPL season, attempts were being made to convince Narine to reverse his decision for the T20 World Cup.

    “I’m truly flattered and humbled that my performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for me to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup,” Narine wrote in an Instagram post. He asserted that he has made peace with his decision and will be supporting the team from home.

    “I have made peace with that decision and whilst I never wish to disappoint, that door is now closed and I will be supporting the guys who take the field in June for West Indies. “Guys who have worked hard over the past few months and deserve to show our wonderful fans that they are capable of winning another title. I wish you all the best,” he added.

    Narine, who has been a key member of KKR since 2012, is seventh on the list of leading run-scorers in the ongoing IPL season, having scored 286 runs, including an unbeaten century against Rajasthan Royals last week — his maiden T20 ton. With the ball, the off-spinner is KKR’s joint-leading wicket-taker with nine scalps at an average of 22.11 and an economy rate of 7.10.

    Narine’s purple patch has compelled West Indies captain Rovman Powell to encourage the spinner to come out of retirement for the home World Cup. “For the last 12 months, I’ve been whispering in his ears, he’s blocked out everyone. Asked (Kieron) Pollard, (Dwayne) Bravo, (Nicholas) Pooran, hopefully before they select the team, they can crack his code, ” Powell had said last week.

  • Shah Rukh Khan’s Heartwarming Gesture Towards Jos Buttler Goes Viral After KKR Lose To RR In IPL 2024; watch

    Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 wickets in IPL 2024 clash on Tuesday night. Buttler’s unbeaten 107 off 60 balls helped Rajasthan win the match on the last ball.

  • BCCI Makes 2 Changes In IPL 2024 Schedule; KKR Vs RR, GT Vs DC Matches Moved To New Dates | cricket news

    The BCCI has announced changes to the schedule of two Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 matches. Slated for April 17, 2024, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will now be held a day earlier on April 16, 2024. Additionally, the match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals, initially planned for April 16, 2024, at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, will now take place on April 17, 2024.

    Also Read | Riyan Parag Reminds Me Of Suryakumar Yadav At MI, Says Shane Bond After RR Beat Mumbai In IPL 2024

    In the IPL release, there is no mention of the reason of the changes but it was earlier reported that it could be to do with the festival of Ram Navmi which falls on April 17. The festival is celebrated widely in Gujarat and West Bengal and it could be one of the reasons why BCCI made the changes as security arrangement could have been a big hassle for the cities of Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

    Check updated schedule of two matches here:

    S.No Day Date Match Venue 1 Tuesday April 16 KKR vs RR Eden Gardens, Kolkata 2 Wednesday

    April 17th

    GT vs DC Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad

    The league has already seen 14 games. Mumbai Indians find themselves in a spot of bother with three losses on the go. These include 2 defeats in away matches while MI also lost one match, to Rajasthan Royals, at home. Their captain Hardik Pandya also remains a target for Mumbai fans as they gave him a hostile reception on coming back to Wankhede in Mumbai jersey. MI are currently placed right at the bottom of the points table.

    On the top of the standings are RR, who have won all three matches played so far in the tournament. Second are KKR who have all 2 they have played so far. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) played 3 and won 2 with their only defeat so far coming against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Visakhapatnam.

    Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have a lot to catch up as well. RCB have blown hot and cold in the tournament so far, winning a tight game but losing two one-sided matches, against CSK and KKR.

  • KKR Captain Shreyas Iyer Likely To Miss IPL 2024's First Phase Due To Same Back Injury Which Ruled Him Out Of 2023 Season | cricket news

    In what could be a huge blow to the hopes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of Indian Premier League's next season (IPL 2024), captain Shreyas Iyer could miss the few initial games due to back injury. It is the same back injury because of which Iyer had missed the complee IPL 2023. Iyer recently played a knock of 95 runs in the Ranji Trophy final and a report in Times of India says that it is this knock which has led to the injury resurfacing. .

    Also Read | IPL 2024: MS Dhoni To Retire At End Of This Season? AB de Villiers Makes A Big Statement On CSK Captain's Future

    Iyer had undergone a back surgery last year before making a comeback just before the World Cup. He played four months of international cricket before complaining of the back pain again. Confusion remained over why Iyer was not picked in the last 3 Tests squad. India coach Rahul Dravid had said that Iyer had missed out on the selection while the batsman has reportedly told BCCI he had back issues and that was the reason why he did not even play a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai.

    Medical team of National Cricket Academy, reportedly, informed BCCI that there was no issue with Iyer. BCCI dropped him from the central contracts post which Iyer was seen playing the final of the Ranji Trophy.

    Let's get started! _ pic.twitter.com/i2l0M9dP8x — KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) February 22, 2024

    A BCCI source has been quoted as saying to Times of India that Iyer's injury is not looking good and is in danger of missing the first few games of IPL.

    “It is not looking good. It is the same back injury which has got aggravated. It is unlikely that he will take the field on Day 5 of the Ranji Trophy final. He is in danger of missing the initial matches of the IPL,” said the BCCI source.

    Not to forget, during his 95-run knock for Mumbai, Iyer took medical assistance twice as he was clearly uncomfortable. He did not take the field for Mumbai on Day 4 and likely to be missing on Day 5 as well due to the same injury.

    KKR play their first match of IPL 2024 on March 23 and if Iyer does not reach full fitness in the next 8 days, he is likely to miss the team's opening game. If that happens, it will be interesting to see KKR's stance on this as if Iyer was not completely fit, then how did NCA clear him to play the Ranji final. That is the big question.

  • KKR will invest in Rinku Singh in coming years: Brendon McCullum

    By PTI

    NAVI MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum says young batter Rinku Singh has been their find of the ongoing IPL season and the franchise will invest in him in the coming years.

    Rinku, who nearly pulled off an epic win with his breathtaking batting against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday, earned high praise from McCullum.

    “Absolutely he (Rinku) sure has (been the find of the season). Rinku is a player who KKR will invest in, no doubt, over the next few years and we will see him really progress and may even challenge for higher honours in time,” McCullum, who is set to take over as England’s next Test head coach, said at the post-match press conference.

    Rinku, who scored 40 off just 15 balls, almost took his team to victory in their last league game against LSG at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday.

    He was dismissed on the penultimate ball following a stunning catch by Evan Lewis.

    The 24-year-Rinku, a left-handed batter and an off-break bowler, has been a revelation for KKR this season.

    Among others, he played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 42 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.

    “Not too many people are able to bat in middle-order and sort of be able to try (and) pull games out of the fire like he (Rinku) has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and (I) am really pleased for him.

    “I am heading in a different direction with the challenge of being able to coach England in front of me, but I will follow all KKR boys, particularly Rinku as well and all the guys I had to do fair bit in the last few years,” McCullum signed off.

  • KKR will invest in Rinku Singh in coming years: Brendon McCullum

    By PTI

    NAVI MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum says young batter Rinku Singh has been their find of the ongoing IPL season and the franchise will invest in him in the coming years.

    Rinku, who nearly pulled off an epic win with his breathtaking batting against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday, earned high praise from McCullum.

    “Absolutely he (Rinku) sure has (been the find of the season). Rinku is a player who KKR will invest in, no doubt, over the next few years and we will see him really progress and may even challenge for higher honours in time,” McCullum, who is set to take over as England’s next Test head coach, said at the post-match press conference.

    Rinku, who scored 40 off just 15 balls, almost took his team to victory in their last league game against LSG at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday.

    He was dismissed on the penultimate ball following a stunning catch by Evan Lewis.

    The 24-year-Rinku, a left-handed batter and an off-break bowler, has been a revelation for KKR this season.

    Among others, he played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 42 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.

    “Not too many people are able to bat in middle-order and sort of be able to try (and) pull games out of the fire like he (Rinku) has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and (I) am really pleased for him.

    “I am heading in a different direction with the challenge of being able to coach England in front of me, but I will follow all KKR boys, particularly Rinku as well and all the guys I had to do fair bit in the last few years,” McCullum signed off.

    NAVI MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum says young batter Rinku Singh has been their find of the ongoing IPL season and the franchise will invest in him in the coming years.

    Rinku, who nearly pulled off an epic win with his breathtaking batting against Lucknow Super Giants here on Wednesday, earned high praise from McCullum.

    “Absolutely he (Rinku) sure has (been the find of the season). Rinku is a player who KKR will invest in, no doubt, over the next few years and we will see him really progress and may even challenge for higher honours in time,” McCullum, who is set to take over as England’s next Test head coach, said at the post-match press conference.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Rinku, who scored 40 off just 15 balls, almost took his team to victory in their last league game against LSG at the DY Patil Stadium on Wednesday.

    He was dismissed on the penultimate ball following a stunning catch by Evan Lewis.

    The 24-year-Rinku, a left-handed batter and an off-break bowler, has been a revelation for KKR this season.

    Among others, he played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 42 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium.

    “Not too many people are able to bat in middle-order and sort of be able to try (and) pull games out of the fire like he (Rinku) has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and (I) am really pleased for him.

    “I am heading in a different direction with the challenge of being able to coach England in front of me, but I will follow all KKR boys, particularly Rinku as well and all the guys I had to do fair bit in the last few years,” McCullum signed off.

  • KKR confirm Pat Cummins ruled out for remainder of tournament

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Friday that pacer Pat Cummins had been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2022 with a mild hip injury.

    It also said that Cummins has returned to his home in Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. The franchise further added that they have not sought a replacement for Cummins ahead of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

    “Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remainder of the TATA Indian Premier League with a mild hip injury and has returned to Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. Following the match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Cummins, who bagged 3/22 from his four overs, underwent an MRI on his right hip,” said an official statement from KKR.

    In IPL 2022, Cummins featured in five matches for Kolkata, where he set the tournament alight with a record 14-ball half-century to be unbeaten on 56 against Mumbai Indians in Pune after recording figures of 2/49.

    But poor showings with the ball meant Cummins didn’t turn out for Kolkata till the return match against Mumbai came, picking 3/22 in a 52-run win. Overall, Cummins picked seven wickets in five matches of IPL 2022, at an economy rate of 10.68 while averaging 30.28.

    “I had an amazing time in India, and I would like to thank KKR for taking care of my family and me. I wish all the team members the best of luck for the remainder of the tournament. I will be watching the games and be cheering on,” said Cummins.

    Cummins had entered IPL 2022 on the back of leading Australia to a historic 1-0 Test series win in Pakistan. In the third and final Test at Lahore, Cummins picked figures of 5/56 and 3/23 in Lahore to play a crucial hand in Australia winning the match by 115 runs and emerge victorious in the series.

    Earlier, a report by cricket.com.au had said that Cummins will be leaving IPL 2022 and flying back to Australia to recover from a hip injury to be fit in time for the tour of Sri Lanka next month.

    “Cummins had been managing the niggle through the IPL but, with Kolkata only an outside chance of making the playoffs, he will complete his rehabilitation at home before flying out for ODI and Test legs of next month’s Sri Lanka tour. Cummins’ recovery is only expected to take a fortnight,” said the report.

  • KKR confirm Pat Cummins ruled out for remainder of tournament

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Friday that pacer Pat Cummins had been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2022 with a mild hip injury.

    It also said that Cummins has returned to his home in Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. The franchise further added that they have not sought a replacement for Cummins ahead of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

    “Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remainder of the TATA Indian Premier League with a mild hip injury and has returned to Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. Following the match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Cummins, who bagged 3/22 from his four overs, underwent an MRI on his right hip,” said an official statement from KKR.

    In IPL 2022, Cummins featured in five matches for Kolkata, where he set the tournament alight with a record 14-ball half-century to be unbeaten on 56 against Mumbai Indians in Pune after recording figures of 2/49.

    But poor showings with the ball meant Cummins didn’t turn out for Kolkata till the return match against Mumbai came, picking 3/22 in a 52-run win. Overall, Cummins picked seven wickets in five matches of IPL 2022, at an economy rate of 10.68 while averaging 30.28.

    “I had an amazing time in India, and I would like to thank KKR for taking care of my family and me. I wish all the team members the best of luck for the remainder of the tournament. I will be watching the games and be cheering on,” said Cummins.

    Cummins had entered IPL 2022 on the back of leading Australia to a historic 1-0 Test series win in Pakistan. In the third and final Test at Lahore, Cummins picked figures of 5/56 and 3/23 in Lahore to play a crucial hand in Australia winning the match by 115 runs and emerge victorious in the series.

    Earlier, a report by cricket.com.au had said that Cummins will be leaving IPL 2022 and flying back to Australia to recover from a hip injury to be fit in time for the tour of Sri Lanka next month.

    “Cummins had been managing the niggle through the IPL but, with Kolkata only an outside chance of making the playoffs, he will complete his rehabilitation at home before flying out for ODI and Test legs of next month’s Sri Lanka tour. Cummins’ recovery is only expected to take a fortnight,” said the report.

    MUMBAI: Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Friday that pacer Pat Cummins had been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2022 with a mild hip injury.

    It also said that Cummins has returned to his home in Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. The franchise further added that they have not sought a replacement for Cummins ahead of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

    “Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the remainder of the TATA Indian Premier League with a mild hip injury and has returned to Australia for two weeks of rest and rehabilitation. Following the match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Cummins, who bagged 3/22 from his four overs, underwent an MRI on his right hip,” said an official statement from KKR.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    In IPL 2022, Cummins featured in five matches for Kolkata, where he set the tournament alight with a record 14-ball half-century to be unbeaten on 56 against Mumbai Indians in Pune after recording figures of 2/49.

    But poor showings with the ball meant Cummins didn’t turn out for Kolkata till the return match against Mumbai came, picking 3/22 in a 52-run win. Overall, Cummins picked seven wickets in five matches of IPL 2022, at an economy rate of 10.68 while averaging 30.28.

    “I had an amazing time in India, and I would like to thank KKR for taking care of my family and me. I wish all the team members the best of luck for the remainder of the tournament. I will be watching the games and be cheering on,” said Cummins.

    Cummins had entered IPL 2022 on the back of leading Australia to a historic 1-0 Test series win in Pakistan. In the third and final Test at Lahore, Cummins picked figures of 5/56 and 3/23 in Lahore to play a crucial hand in Australia winning the match by 115 runs and emerge victorious in the series.

    Earlier, a report by cricket.com.au had said that Cummins will be leaving IPL 2022 and flying back to Australia to recover from a hip injury to be fit in time for the tour of Sri Lanka next month.

    “Cummins had been managing the niggle through the IPL but, with Kolkata only an outside chance of making the playoffs, he will complete his rehabilitation at home before flying out for ODI and Test legs of next month’s Sri Lanka tour. Cummins’ recovery is only expected to take a fortnight,” said the report.

  • Quinton de Kock’s 50, bowlers take LSG closer to playoff berth with crushing victory over KKR

    By PTI

    PUNE: Quinton de Kock laid the platform with a commanding fifty and his pacers then terrorised Kolkata Knight Riders to record a crushing 75-run victory for Lucknow Super Giants which put them on top of the table with an IPL play-off berth being a formality now.

    For last year’s runners-up KKR, eight points from 11 games with a deflating negative run-rate now puts them closer to the exit door with lacklustre performance and unimaginative captaincy combining for what has turned out to be a disastrous season so far.

    Invited to bat, De Kock slammed a 29-ball-50 but Lucknow almost frittered away a solid start before some lusty hitting in a 30-run penultimate over off Shivam Mavi took them to 176 for 7.

    The LSG bowlers then raised to the occasion to bundle out KKR for 101 in 14.3 overs, despite the heroics of Andre Russell (45 off 19 balls) to gather two crucial points and take their overall total to 16 points in the IPL standing.

    KKR remained at the 8th spot after suffering their 7th loss in 11 games.

    Defending 177, LSG left KKR tottering at 25 for four with four bowlers picking up their first wickets.

    While Mohsin produced a wicket-maiden to get rid of to Baba Indrajith, Chameera sent back Shreyas Iyer after rattling him with a short and quick delivery.

    It has now been an all too familiar script for KKR skipper whose discomfort while facing quick bouncers is well-documented and national coach Rahul Dravid would only be worried with this glaring technical deficiency.

    Aaron Finch too perished as his miscued pull was poached by de Kock as KKR slipped to 23 for 3 in the first six overs.

    Nitish Rana was then cleaned up by Avesh Khan with a yorker as KKR looked down the barrels.

    Russell then used his brute force to hit Holder all across the park.

    One was whacked at midwicket for a maximum, the second one was slapped to deep, while a flat-batted pull earned him another six and the last one was a four over short third.

    After amassing 25 off the Holder over, Russell produced another maximum off Ravi Bishnoi as KKR reached 64 for 4 in 10 overs.

    He and Sunil Narine (22 off 12) produced a small partnership but once Russell was out to Avesh Khan in the 13th over, it became a downward slide for KKR as they folded in 14.3 overs.

    Avesh and Holder returned with three wickets each.

    Earlier, De Kock, who was involved in a terrible mix up with skipper KL Rahul, who got a ‘Diamond Duck’ (out for 0 without facing a ball), redeemed himself with an innings studded with four boundaries and three maximums.

    He added 71 with Deepak Hooda (41 off 27 balls) to give LSG a good start after being invited to bat.

    Hooda made up for the loss of Rahul’s with his back to-back boundaries over extra cover off Shivam Mavi (1/50 in 4 overs), while De Kock too joined in with a special treatment to Tim Southee, clobbering him for two fours and a six in the 3rd over.

    Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and pacer Harshit Rana were next in line as De Kock smashed the former for a four before lunching into the latter for a four and two sixes to take LSG to their best score in the powerplays this season, a 66 for one.

    De Kock, however, couldn’t stay much longer as he was holed out in deep only two balls after completing his fifty.

    Hooda, who hit four boundariers and two sixes in his entertaining 27-ball knock tat took LSG past 100-run mark before falling to a Andre Russell delivery with his miscued pull ending in safe hands of skipper Shreyas Iyer.

    Krunal Pandya then tried to keep the run-rate high and slammed two fours before ending at the hands of Aaron Finch at deep point.

    The decision to promote Ayush Badoni (15 not out off 18) didn’t bear result as the young Delhi batter was under pressue after a quiet over and couldn’t find his rhythm with runs drying up between 12th to 16th over.

    However, Marcus Stoinis (28 off 14 balls) changed things when he clobbered Mavi for three successive sixes before holing out.

    However, new man Jason Holder (13 off 4 balls) slammed the next two balls for two more maximums as the 19th over yielded 30 runs for LSG.

    In the bowling front, KKR missed the experience of Umesh Yadav, who missed out due to a muscle pull, with Hooda and de Kock going hammer and tongs early on.

    However, Andrew Russell (2/22) was rewarded for bowling back of length , while Sunil Narine (20/1) and Tim Southee (1/28) also kept things tight but the rest of bowlers bled plenty in their stipulated overs.