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  • 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.

    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.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    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.

  • Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap five-match losing streak

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated in-form Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap their five-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

    KKR first restricted RR to 152 for five after opting to bowl and then chased down the target with five balls to spare to return to winning ways and heave a sigh of relief.

    Nitish Rana (48 not out) anchored the chase, while Rinku Singh played a 23-ball unbeaten 42-run cameo to help KKR overwhelm the target with consummate ease.

    Aaron Finch’s poor run continued as he was cleaned up by Kuldeep Sen early on as KKR made a sedate start to their chase.

    KKR batters found the going tough on a slow paced Wankhede pitch, where shot-making wasn’t easy at all.

    Baba Indrajith (15) was bounced out by Prasidh Krishna soon but captain Shreyas Iyer (34 off 32) and Nitish Rana batted sensible to help KKR reach fifty in nine overs.

    It was Rana who finally managed to free his arms in the 11th over, and used the sweep and reverse sweep to great effect to hit R Ashwin for a 4-6-4 to pick up 16 runs.

    Iyer then clobbered Yuzvendra Chahal over wide long-on boundary to bring up the half-century stand for the third wicket with Rana.

    Just when it seemed Iyer was breaking loose, he edged a Trent Boult delivery to Samson behind the stumps in the next over.

    Iyer struck three boundaries and one six during his knock.

    New man Singh marked his arrival at the crease with a boundary of the first ball.

    Needing 46 off 30 balls, Singh played the shot of the day, a paddle scoop to a 141 kmph Sen delivery on his legs high and mighty over the fine leg fence.

    Singh meant business as he found the fence at crucial junctures to first bring down the equation to 31 runs off 18 balls.

    Samson’s decision to bring Chahal back into the attack in the 18th over backfired as Singh took his chances against the spinner and struck consecutive fours to make it 18 off last 12 balls.

    Singh continued his onslaught against Prasidh, who conceded 17 runs in the penultimate over, which included two boundaries from the left-hander’s blade, as KKR wrapped up the match in style.

    Earlier, KKR restricted RR to a modest 152 for five, despite rival skipper Samson’s half-century.

    For RR, Samson’s 54 off 49 balls was the only saving grace, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

    KKR bowlers justified skipper Iyer’s decision to ask the opposition to bat first with quick wickets.

    A late onslaught by Shimron Hetymar (27 not out off 13 balls) took Rajasthan beyond the 150-run mark.

    RR lost opener Devdutt Padikkal (2) cheaply as pacer Umesh Yadav (1/24) grabbed a return catch in the third over.

    Samson, who hit seven boundaries and a six, joined in-form Jos Buttler (22 off 25 balls; 3x4s) and the duo tried to rally the innings, sharing 48 runs for the second wicket as KKR bowlers didn’t allow RR batters to free their arms.

    Samson carved through the point to get his first four in the fourth over as RR crawled to 12 for one.

    Samson and and Buttler tried to break the shackles in the fifth over, which fetched RR 15 runs.

    The duo hammered Umesh for three boundaries, with the skipper hitting two of them.

    Samson lofted Anukul Roy (1/28) over deep extra cover for his first maximum as RR amassed 11 runs in the sixth over, scoring 38 runs in power-play.

    The RR skipper then cut Sunil Narine (0/19) for another boundary.

    But RR slipped to 55 for two after pacer Tim Southee (2/46) removed a rusty looking Buttler, who was caught by Shivam Mavi at long on.

    Samson struck two successive boundaries off Mavi (1/33) but was devoid of partners.

    He was able to add only 35 runs with Karun Nair (13) and 25 with Riyan Parag (19).

    Karun (13), Parag (19) and Samson fell in quick succession as RR slipped to 115 for five from 90 for three.

    While Nair became left-arm spinner Roy’s only victim, Parag was caught by Roy at deep-mid wicket off Southee.

    Samson, in a bid to score quickly, gave a skier to Singh at deep-midwicket.

    Hetymer and Ashwin (6 not out) added unbeaten 37 runs in 18 balls to push RR’s total beyond the 150-run mark.

  • Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap five-match losing streak

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated in-form Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap their five-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

    KKR first restricted RR to 152 for five after opting to bowl and then chased down the target with five balls to spare to return to winning ways and heave a sigh of relief.

    Nitish Rana (48 not out) anchored the chase, while Rinku Singh played a 23-ball unbeaten 42-run cameo to help KKR overwhelm the target with consummate ease.

    Aaron Finch’s poor run continued as he was cleaned up by Kuldeep Sen early on as KKR made a sedate start to their chase.

    KKR batters found the going tough on a slow paced Wankhede pitch, where shot-making wasn’t easy at all.

    Baba Indrajith (15) was bounced out by Prasidh Krishna soon but captain Shreyas Iyer (34 off 32) and Nitish Rana batted sensible to help KKR reach fifty in nine overs.

    It was Rana who finally managed to free his arms in the 11th over, and used the sweep and reverse sweep to great effect to hit R Ashwin for a 4-6-4 to pick up 16 runs.

    Iyer then clobbered Yuzvendra Chahal over wide long-on boundary to bring up the half-century stand for the third wicket with Rana.

    Just when it seemed Iyer was breaking loose, he edged a Trent Boult delivery to Samson behind the stumps in the next over.

    Iyer struck three boundaries and one six during his knock.

    New man Singh marked his arrival at the crease with a boundary of the first ball.

    Needing 46 off 30 balls, Singh played the shot of the day, a paddle scoop to a 141 kmph Sen delivery on his legs high and mighty over the fine leg fence.

    Singh meant business as he found the fence at crucial junctures to first bring down the equation to 31 runs off 18 balls.

    Samson’s decision to bring Chahal back into the attack in the 18th over backfired as Singh took his chances against the spinner and struck consecutive fours to make it 18 off last 12 balls.

    Singh continued his onslaught against Prasidh, who conceded 17 runs in the penultimate over, which included two boundaries from the left-hander’s blade, as KKR wrapped up the match in style.

    Earlier, KKR restricted RR to a modest 152 for five, despite rival skipper Samson’s half-century.

    For RR, Samson’s 54 off 49 balls was the only saving grace, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

    KKR bowlers justified skipper Iyer’s decision to ask the opposition to bat first with quick wickets.

    A late onslaught by Shimron Hetymar (27 not out off 13 balls) took Rajasthan beyond the 150-run mark.

    RR lost opener Devdutt Padikkal (2) cheaply as pacer Umesh Yadav (1/24) grabbed a return catch in the third over.

    Samson, who hit seven boundaries and a six, joined in-form Jos Buttler (22 off 25 balls; 3x4s) and the duo tried to rally the innings, sharing 48 runs for the second wicket as KKR bowlers didn’t allow RR batters to free their arms.

    Samson carved through the point to get his first four in the fourth over as RR crawled to 12 for one.

    Samson and and Buttler tried to break the shackles in the fifth over, which fetched RR 15 runs.

    The duo hammered Umesh for three boundaries, with the skipper hitting two of them.

    Samson lofted Anukul Roy (1/28) over deep extra cover for his first maximum as RR amassed 11 runs in the sixth over, scoring 38 runs in power-play.

    The RR skipper then cut Sunil Narine (0/19) for another boundary.

    But RR slipped to 55 for two after pacer Tim Southee (2/46) removed a rusty looking Buttler, who was caught by Shivam Mavi at long on.

    Samson struck two successive boundaries off Mavi (1/33) but was devoid of partners.

    He was able to add only 35 runs with Karun Nair (13) and 25 with Riyan Parag (19).

    Karun (13), Parag (19) and Samson fell in quick succession as RR slipped to 115 for five from 90 for three.

    While Nair became left-arm spinner Roy’s only victim, Parag was caught by Roy at deep-mid wicket off Southee.

    Samson, in a bid to score quickly, gave a skier to Singh at deep-midwicket.

    Hetymer and Ashwin (6 not out) added unbeaten 37 runs in 18 balls to push RR’s total beyond the 150-run mark.

    MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated in-form Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to snap their five-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

    KKR first restricted RR to 152 for five after opting to bowl and then chased down the target with five balls to spare to return to winning ways and heave a sigh of relief.

    Nitish Rana (48 not out) anchored the chase, while Rinku Singh played a 23-ball unbeaten 42-run cameo to help KKR overwhelm the target with consummate ease.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Aaron Finch’s poor run continued as he was cleaned up by Kuldeep Sen early on as KKR made a sedate start to their chase.

    KKR batters found the going tough on a slow paced Wankhede pitch, where shot-making wasn’t easy at all.

    Baba Indrajith (15) was bounced out by Prasidh Krishna soon but captain Shreyas Iyer (34 off 32) and Nitish Rana batted sensible to help KKR reach fifty in nine overs.

    It was Rana who finally managed to free his arms in the 11th over, and used the sweep and reverse sweep to great effect to hit R Ashwin for a 4-6-4 to pick up 16 runs.

    Iyer then clobbered Yuzvendra Chahal over wide long-on boundary to bring up the half-century stand for the third wicket with Rana.

    Just when it seemed Iyer was breaking loose, he edged a Trent Boult delivery to Samson behind the stumps in the next over.

    Iyer struck three boundaries and one six during his knock.

    New man Singh marked his arrival at the crease with a boundary of the first ball.

    Needing 46 off 30 balls, Singh played the shot of the day, a paddle scoop to a 141 kmph Sen delivery on his legs high and mighty over the fine leg fence.

    Singh meant business as he found the fence at crucial junctures to first bring down the equation to 31 runs off 18 balls.

    Samson’s decision to bring Chahal back into the attack in the 18th over backfired as Singh took his chances against the spinner and struck consecutive fours to make it 18 off last 12 balls.

    Singh continued his onslaught against Prasidh, who conceded 17 runs in the penultimate over, which included two boundaries from the left-hander’s blade, as KKR wrapped up the match in style.

    Earlier, KKR restricted RR to a modest 152 for five, despite rival skipper Samson’s half-century.

    For RR, Samson’s 54 off 49 balls was the only saving grace, as wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

    KKR bowlers justified skipper Iyer’s decision to ask the opposition to bat first with quick wickets.

    A late onslaught by Shimron Hetymar (27 not out off 13 balls) took Rajasthan beyond the 150-run mark.

    RR lost opener Devdutt Padikkal (2) cheaply as pacer Umesh Yadav (1/24) grabbed a return catch in the third over.

    Samson, who hit seven boundaries and a six, joined in-form Jos Buttler (22 off 25 balls; 3x4s) and the duo tried to rally the innings, sharing 48 runs for the second wicket as KKR bowlers didn’t allow RR batters to free their arms.

    Samson carved through the point to get his first four in the fourth over as RR crawled to 12 for one.

    Samson and and Buttler tried to break the shackles in the fifth over, which fetched RR 15 runs.

    The duo hammered Umesh for three boundaries, with the skipper hitting two of them.

    Samson lofted Anukul Roy (1/28) over deep extra cover for his first maximum as RR amassed 11 runs in the sixth over, scoring 38 runs in power-play.

    The RR skipper then cut Sunil Narine (0/19) for another boundary.

    But RR slipped to 55 for two after pacer Tim Southee (2/46) removed a rusty looking Buttler, who was caught by Shivam Mavi at long on.

    Samson struck two successive boundaries off Mavi (1/33) but was devoid of partners.

    He was able to add only 35 runs with Karun Nair (13) and 25 with Riyan Parag (19).

    Karun (13), Parag (19) and Samson fell in quick succession as RR slipped to 115 for five from 90 for three.

    While Nair became left-arm spinner Roy’s only victim, Parag was caught by Roy at deep-mid wicket off Southee.

    Samson, in a bid to score quickly, gave a skier to Singh at deep-midwicket.

    Hetymer and Ashwin (6 not out) added unbeaten 37 runs in 18 balls to push RR’s total beyond the 150-run mark.

  • Sunil Narine the perennial saviour as Kolkata Knight Riders look up to him to stem the flow of runs

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Sunil Narine, the talismanic cricketer in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) ranks, might not have succeeded in guiding his franchise to victory against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL match at the Brabourne Stadium on April 10, but the West Indian certainly proved that he was a class apart in a team dotted with superstars.

    Just when it seemed that Delhi Capitals were about to blast off like a rocket and amass a mammoth total, Narine was pressed into service quite early, and the 33-year-old, who has made deception his mantra and pressure his ally, bowled astutely to make it difficult for the likes of Rishabh Pant and Australian David Warner to line him up.

    Narine bowled on a back of a length, at times quicker and flatter, with his last two overs just going for four runs as he picked up the wicket of Lalit Yadav, a plumb LBW call after the batter missed a back-of-a-length delivery hitting the middle stump.

    He then snared the big-hitting Rovman Powell in his last over, after he slogged a full ball on off stump only for the substitute fielder Rinku Singh to hold on to a fine catch at fine leg.

    It was only after his incisive 14th and 16th overs, and Umesh Yadav’s 17th, that Delhi Capitals’ run-rate dipped below 10-an-over for the first time in the innings and restricted them to 215/5, which at one point looked to breach the 250-mark.

    Narine has so far in the season emerged the most economical bowler, with an economy of 4.85. He has conceded the second fewest boundaries — seven (five fours and two sixes) — for any bowler to have bowled a minimum 15 overs this season.

    His ratio of balls per boundary — 17.1 — is second only to Delhi’s Mustafizur Rahman’s 18, according to kkr.in. His figures so far have read 0/15, 1/12, 1/23, 0/26 and 2/21. In a squad that has the likes of Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins, Narine has shunned limelight, going about his task in a cool and calculated manner.

    His approach has remained steadfast be it when the rival teams are 138 all out or 215/5. Against DC on April 10, when every other KKR bowler was rendered ineffective — barring Andre Russell 1/16 in two overs — with the Delhi franchise scoring at over 10-an-over, Narine’s figures read a miserly 4-0-21-2.

    At a time when Prithvi Shaw and David Warner prioritised boundary-hitting when the likes of Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam and Pat Cummins were bowling in powerplay — smashing eight fours and a maximum in the first four overs itself and pocketing 76 per cent of the runs in boundaries — KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer had no option but to introduce spin as early as the fifth over.

    Varun Chakaravarthy’s over went for eight and Narine, in the following over, conceded 10, the first time both had bowled together in the power-play this season.

    “It was definitely based on the start they got and Prithvi (Shaw) is someone who doesn’t go really big against the spinners as I’ve played with him before,” Iyer spoke on kkr.in. “So, since he got a really good start, I wanted to restrict the momentum that he had created at the start and I felt that Varun and Sunil both are experienced bowlers, so they could stick to it at that point of time and give us a really good hold.”

  • Sunil Narine the perennial saviour as Kolkata Knight Riders look up to him to stem the flow of runs

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Sunil Narine, the talismanic cricketer in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) ranks, might not have succeeded in guiding his franchise to victory against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL match at the Brabourne Stadium on April 10, but the West Indian certainly proved that he was a class apart in a team dotted with superstars.

    Just when it seemed that Delhi Capitals were about to blast off like a rocket and amass a mammoth total, Narine was pressed into service quite early, and the 33-year-old, who has made deception his mantra and pressure his ally, bowled astutely to make it difficult for the likes of Rishabh Pant and Australian David Warner to line him up.

    Narine bowled on a back of a length, at times quicker and flatter, with his last two overs just going for four runs as he picked up the wicket of Lalit Yadav, a plumb LBW call after the batter missed a back-of-a-length delivery hitting the middle stump.

    He then snared the big-hitting Rovman Powell in his last over, after he slogged a full ball on off stump only for the substitute fielder Rinku Singh to hold on to a fine catch at fine leg.

    It was only after his incisive 14th and 16th overs, and Umesh Yadav’s 17th, that Delhi Capitals’ run-rate dipped below 10-an-over for the first time in the innings and restricted them to 215/5, which at one point looked to breach the 250-mark.

    Narine has so far in the season emerged the most economical bowler, with an economy of 4.85. He has conceded the second fewest boundaries — seven (five fours and two sixes) — for any bowler to have bowled a minimum 15 overs this season.

    His ratio of balls per boundary — 17.1 — is second only to Delhi’s Mustafizur Rahman’s 18, according to kkr.in. His figures so far have read 0/15, 1/12, 1/23, 0/26 and 2/21. In a squad that has the likes of Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins, Narine has shunned limelight, going about his task in a cool and calculated manner.

    His approach has remained steadfast be it when the rival teams are 138 all out or 215/5. Against DC on April 10, when every other KKR bowler was rendered ineffective — barring Andre Russell 1/16 in two overs — with the Delhi franchise scoring at over 10-an-over, Narine’s figures read a miserly 4-0-21-2.

    At a time when Prithvi Shaw and David Warner prioritised boundary-hitting when the likes of Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam and Pat Cummins were bowling in powerplay — smashing eight fours and a maximum in the first four overs itself and pocketing 76 per cent of the runs in boundaries — KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer had no option but to introduce spin as early as the fifth over.

    Varun Chakaravarthy’s over went for eight and Narine, in the following over, conceded 10, the first time both had bowled together in the power-play this season.

    “It was definitely based on the start they got and Prithvi (Shaw) is someone who doesn’t go really big against the spinners as I’ve played with him before,” Iyer spoke on kkr.in. “So, since he got a really good start, I wanted to restrict the momentum that he had created at the start and I felt that Varun and Sunil both are experienced bowlers, so they could stick to it at that point of time and give us a really good hold.”

    MUMBAI: Sunil Narine, the talismanic cricketer in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) ranks, might not have succeeded in guiding his franchise to victory against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL match at the Brabourne Stadium on April 10, but the West Indian certainly proved that he was a class apart in a team dotted with superstars.

    Just when it seemed that Delhi Capitals were about to blast off like a rocket and amass a mammoth total, Narine was pressed into service quite early, and the 33-year-old, who has made deception his mantra and pressure his ally, bowled astutely to make it difficult for the likes of Rishabh Pant and Australian David Warner to line him up.

    Narine bowled on a back of a length, at times quicker and flatter, with his last two overs just going for four runs as he picked up the wicket of Lalit Yadav, a plumb LBW call after the batter missed a back-of-a-length delivery hitting the middle stump.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    He then snared the big-hitting Rovman Powell in his last over, after he slogged a full ball on off stump only for the substitute fielder Rinku Singh to hold on to a fine catch at fine leg.

    It was only after his incisive 14th and 16th overs, and Umesh Yadav’s 17th, that Delhi Capitals’ run-rate dipped below 10-an-over for the first time in the innings and restricted them to 215/5, which at one point looked to breach the 250-mark.

    Narine has so far in the season emerged the most economical bowler, with an economy of 4.85. He has conceded the second fewest boundaries — seven (five fours and two sixes) — for any bowler to have bowled a minimum 15 overs this season.

    His ratio of balls per boundary — 17.1 — is second only to Delhi’s Mustafizur Rahman’s 18, according to kkr.in. His figures so far have read 0/15, 1/12, 1/23, 0/26 and 2/21. In a squad that has the likes of Umesh Yadav, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins, Narine has shunned limelight, going about his task in a cool and calculated manner.

    His approach has remained steadfast be it when the rival teams are 138 all out or 215/5. Against DC on April 10, when every other KKR bowler was rendered ineffective — barring Andre Russell 1/16 in two overs — with the Delhi franchise scoring at over 10-an-over, Narine’s figures read a miserly 4-0-21-2.

    At a time when Prithvi Shaw and David Warner prioritised boundary-hitting when the likes of Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam and Pat Cummins were bowling in powerplay — smashing eight fours and a maximum in the first four overs itself and pocketing 76 per cent of the runs in boundaries — KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer had no option but to introduce spin as early as the fifth over.

    Varun Chakaravarthy’s over went for eight and Narine, in the following over, conceded 10, the first time both had bowled together in the power-play this season.

    “It was definitely based on the start they got and Prithvi (Shaw) is someone who doesn’t go really big against the spinners as I’ve played with him before,” Iyer spoke on kkr.in. “So, since he got a really good start, I wanted to restrict the momentum that he had created at the start and I felt that Varun and Sunil both are experienced bowlers, so they could stick to it at that point of time and give us a really good hold.”

  • Shreyas Iyer praises Delhi Capitals’ Prithvi Shaw for his knock against KKR

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: After facing a defeat against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer praised his rival batter Prithvi Shaw and called him a player who can the change the game in the powerplay.

    Delhi Capitals registered a comprehensive 44 run win against Kolkata Knight Riders here at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.

    “Prithvi Shaw is a type of batsman who can change the game in the powerplay. I’ve played with him before, obviously. He hits the good shots and even as a captain, I can’t figure out how to set the field for him,” Shreyas said in the post-match press conference.

    “Prithvi is someone who doesn’t go really big against spinners. Since he got a really good start, I tried to restrict the momentum that they got. I thought Varun and Sunil are really experienced bowlers, and they could have restricted at that point of time and give us a good hold,” he added.

    The skipper further said that his side need to focus on their batting, in order to win in games with such high targets.

    “Absolutely not worried about the starts we’re getting. But when you’re chasing 214-215 you need to get off to a really good start. And, you know, you can’t think twice about what the bowler is going to bowl because you have to have that attacking mindset right from ball one and one mistake can get you out as a batsman,” said Shreyas.

    “I wouldn’t blame anyone in this particular chase. But, yes, we have this history in the last few games that we didn’t get really good starts and obviously that is also something we need to work on. And this is just the early stage of the tournament. So, you know, once we start practising more, start executing stuff really well on the field, I think, things will be really taken care of pretty well,” he added.

    Delhi Capitals not only excelled with the bat but they also were brilliant with the ball and the standout performer was chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav who bagged four wickets and also for the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

    Rishabh Pant led Delhi registered their second win of the season and now they have two wins from four matches.

  • Shreyas Iyer praises Delhi Capitals’ Prithvi Shaw for his knock against KKR

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: After facing a defeat against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer praised his rival batter Prithvi Shaw and called him a player who can the change the game in the powerplay.

    Delhi Capitals registered a comprehensive 44 run win against Kolkata Knight Riders here at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.

    “Prithvi Shaw is a type of batsman who can change the game in the powerplay. I’ve played with him before, obviously. He hits the good shots and even as a captain, I can’t figure out how to set the field for him,” Shreyas said in the post-match press conference.

    “Prithvi is someone who doesn’t go really big against spinners. Since he got a really good start, I tried to restrict the momentum that they got. I thought Varun and Sunil are really experienced bowlers, and they could have restricted at that point of time and give us a good hold,” he added.

    The skipper further said that his side need to focus on their batting, in order to win in games with such high targets.

    “Absolutely not worried about the starts we’re getting. But when you’re chasing 214-215 you need to get off to a really good start. And, you know, you can’t think twice about what the bowler is going to bowl because you have to have that attacking mindset right from ball one and one mistake can get you out as a batsman,” said Shreyas.

    “I wouldn’t blame anyone in this particular chase. But, yes, we have this history in the last few games that we didn’t get really good starts and obviously that is also something we need to work on. And this is just the early stage of the tournament. So, you know, once we start practising more, start executing stuff really well on the field, I think, things will be really taken care of pretty well,” he added.

    Delhi Capitals not only excelled with the bat but they also were brilliant with the ball and the standout performer was chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav who bagged four wickets and also for the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

    Rishabh Pant led Delhi registered their second win of the season and now they have two wins from four matches.

    MUMBAI: After facing a defeat against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer praised his rival batter Prithvi Shaw and called him a player who can the change the game in the powerplay.

    Delhi Capitals registered a comprehensive 44 run win against Kolkata Knight Riders here at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.

    “Prithvi Shaw is a type of batsman who can change the game in the powerplay. I’ve played with him before, obviously. He hits the good shots and even as a captain, I can’t figure out how to set the field for him,” Shreyas said in the post-match press conference.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Prithvi is someone who doesn’t go really big against spinners. Since he got a really good start, I tried to restrict the momentum that they got. I thought Varun and Sunil are really experienced bowlers, and they could have restricted at that point of time and give us a good hold,” he added.

    The skipper further said that his side need to focus on their batting, in order to win in games with such high targets.

    “Absolutely not worried about the starts we’re getting. But when you’re chasing 214-215 you need to get off to a really good start. And, you know, you can’t think twice about what the bowler is going to bowl because you have to have that attacking mindset right from ball one and one mistake can get you out as a batsman,” said Shreyas.

    “I wouldn’t blame anyone in this particular chase. But, yes, we have this history in the last few games that we didn’t get really good starts and obviously that is also something we need to work on. And this is just the early stage of the tournament. So, you know, once we start practising more, start executing stuff really well on the field, I think, things will be really taken care of pretty well,” he added.

    Delhi Capitals not only excelled with the bat but they also were brilliant with the ball and the standout performer was chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav who bagged four wickets and also for the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

    Rishabh Pant led Delhi registered their second win of the season and now they have two wins from four matches.

  • Pat Cummins equals record for fastest IPL fifty as KKR beat Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets

    Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Pat Cummins’ record in death overs is no secret. In 26 innings, he has operated at 10.23 RPO in death overs in the Indian Premier League. But, on Wednesday, against Mumbai Indians, it was different. Going into the final four overs, Cummins had bowled three, conceding 26 runs up until then. On a pitch that had a bit of extra bounce, the Australian Test skipper, along with Umesh Yadav and Rasikh Salam had bowled extremely well in the first half of the innings.

    Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma had accelerated since and Mumbai was pushing towards the 150-run mark when Cummins came on to bowl the final over. First ball, full and wide, Suryakumar edges one behind. In comes Pollard. Cummins delivers a wide yorker, dugout for two. Another wide yorker follows, but this time Pollard was ready for it. He gets under it and smacks it over long-on. Eight off three.

    Cummins tries to go wider and bowls a wide, forcing him to change the length for the next. A couple of runs followed off the fourth. 11 off four deliveries against Pollard isn’t all that bad. But the story wasn’t over. The pacer went short and wide, Pollard pulled with all his might only to top-edged it over third-man for a six. 17 off five now. Cummis reacts and goes fuller. Pollard once again goes hard and this time the leading edge brings the same result.

    In an over where he did hardly anything wrong, Cummins ended up conceding 23 runs from five balls and a wicket. From 138 for three, Mumbai went on to finish with 161/4. But he knew, such things happen in the shortest format.

    “Welcome to T20 cricket,” he would say after the match, before adding, “we would have taken 160 at the start of the innings.”

    In fact, at that point, he wouldn’t have known that his more significant performance in the match was yet to come.

    Mumbai had reduced Kolkata to 101/5 in 13.1 overs. Tymal Mills had removed Andre Russell. Venkatesh Iyer was still batting, but they still needed 61 runs from 41 balls. In comes Cummins and sneaks a single of his first. That was the only inconsequential ball of the innings. From there one, every ball he faced was an event.

    The fifth ball of that over was on the slot and Cummins smacked it over the shorter boundary on the leg side for six. Mills went fuller and wider. Cummins followed, slicing it between gully and third-man for a four.

    Mumbai still had two overs of Jasprit Bumrah. But that didn’t bother the Australian. He played out a couple of deliveries before launching the Indian pacer over deep-midwicket. Much like Mills, Bumrah, too, went full and wide, but an outside edge was enough for Cummins to secure a boundary. By the end of that over, the equation had come down to 35 off 30 with Cummins batting at 22 from 8 balls. It seemed like it was his day with the bat. And everything he’s touched would turn gold.

    What followed was just madness. Rohit Sharma brought Daniel Sams and Cummins was ready for it. Six, four, six, six followed off his bat, all on through the leg-side. The chase was all but done in those four deliveries. The pressure led Sams to bowl a no-ball, off which Cummins scored just two, thanks to Suryakumar’s effort on the ropes.

    A four and a six followed as Cummins brought up the joint-fastest fifty ever in the IPL, smashing 35 runs in that over. It was an exhibition of ball striking, especially against pace. From 101/5 after 13.1, Kolkata went to 162/5 in just 18 balls.

    Mumbai had one over of Murugan Ashwin left at that point. They could have used him against Cummins, but it was all irrelevant as their head coach Mahela Jayawardene said after the match.

    “Hindsight is a great thing, but with short leg-side boundaries, Cummins could hit those sixes with the equation that was there. Maybe, we could have stuck with those hard lengths rather than using variations,” he said after the match.

    Maybe Ashwin could have made a difference, maybe not. Either way, the way Cummins started with the bat, it was just one of those days where all one could say was that the knock was just meant to be.

    Brief Scores: MI 161/4 in 20 overs (Suryakumar 52, Tilak 38 n.o; Cummins 2/49) vs KKR 162/5 in 15 overs (Cummins 56 n.o, Venkatesh 50 n.o)

  • Future of KKR is bright under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Friday said that two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders’ future is bright under the leadership of batter Shreyas Iyer.

    Iyer was appointed captain of the Kolkata side ahead of IPL 2022 and has left everyone impressed with the way he’s led the side so far despite facing a three-wicket loss in a low-scoring thriller to Royal Challengers Bangalore, especially after making a winning start against defending champions Chennai Super Kings.

    “Shreyas Iyer is a brilliant captain. Remember, he picked up (Delhi Capitals) captaincy midway through the season, like Rohit Sharma who was named Mumbai Indians’ captain halfway through the season in IPL 2013. For Delhi Capitals, Shreyas started well under the supervision of coach Ricky Ponting and he kept improving his decision-making skills in his first stint as captain,” said Pathan in an episode of Cricket Live on Star Sports.

    Pathan observed that since the time Iyer moved to Kolkata from Delhi, his leadership skills have got more limelight. “But his captaincy moves are coming to the fore prominently in this season and we will talk more about it as the tournament progresses. He’s a players’ captain. He backs the players at every turn and which is a good sign of a leader. The future of Kolkata is bright under his supervision and we’ve seen glimpses of it in the first couple of games.”

    Kolkata will be hoping that Iyer’s leadership will get them back to winning ways in IPL 2022 against Punjab Kings at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday.

  • Andre Russell has Grade-II hamstring tear: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan

    By ANI

    SHARJAH: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan revealed that Andre Russell has a Grade 2 hamstring tear and the all-rounder is working hard with the medical team to be fully fit for Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.

    Sunil Narine stole the show as KKR beat RCB in Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday. After the match, Morgan said KKR will take a decision on Russell’s availability on how the all-rounder presents himself on Tuesday.

    “Andre has a Grade 2 hamstring tear, and it’s only been a couple of weeks since that injury. He has worked incredibly hard along with our medical team with intensive rehabilitation to try and get himself back on the park. We only have 48 hours before the next game. So we’ll have to take that decision (on whether he is fit to play) based on how he presents himself tomorrow (Tuesday) and the next day,” Morgan said in the post-match press conference.

    KKR had won two games in the IPL 2021 during the first half but the side came back with strong performances in the UAE leg to qualify for the playoffs. “In the first phase of the tournament, we were still trying to implement Buzz’s (Brendon McCullum) mantra of trying to play positive, aggressive cricket. In the first phase it didn’t quite happen. Throughout this second phase, people have turned up with a different motivation and drive to try and play the aggressive brand of cricket,” said Morgan.

    “Our bowlers have shown us the way – how to be aggressive with the ball in trying to take wickets and identifying when to hold back and be a little bit more defensive. That’s led the way with our batting as well,” he signed off.