The Kolkata Knight Riders aren’t to be taken lightly. Rajasthan Royals may have occupied the top spot, but the Shreyas Iyer-led side isn’t that far behind. Playing their penultimate match at their home ground, Eden Gardens, the Knights put on a splendid display.
They made the Delhi Capitals crawl their way towards a small total of 153. In replay, they did what they have been doing throughout the IPL 2024 season. Their openers once again did the trick, chasing down half of the target by the end of the powerplay. They ended the proceedings with 7 wickets in hand and 3.3 overs to spare.
Phil Salt: Destroyer in Chief
Salt was in no mood to mess about. The opener scored 60 runs alone in the powerplay. His partner at the other end, Sunil Narine, managed to score just 15 during the period. When the wicketkeeper batter finally departed for 68(33), KKR needed just 58 runs from 71 balls. He also stormed into the top five run-getters list and is currently striking at an astonishing rate of 180.64.
The spin wiz
Varun Chakaravarthy wasn’t having a great season. But against DC, he singlehandedly won his side the game. The mystery spinner ended with the figures of 4-0-16-3 in a game where pacers were the dominant force. He exploited every bit of turn on the pitch and ended up with the prized wickets of Rishabh Pant and Tristian Stubbs, two of the Delhi Capitals’ best batters.
Mayank Yadav ready to run through oppositions
Lucknow Super Giants speedster Mayank Yadav has been declared fit ahead of the LSG vs MI clash at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. The pacer, who played on April 7, had made an immediate impact for KL Rahul and co. in the three matches he’d played. Back to full fitness, the quick is ready to wow the world once again.
Kuldeep Yadav, the all-rounder
A major find for the Delhi Capitals and the Indian cricket team. Kuldeep Yadav, one of the best wrist spinners in the world, has shown that he’s no mug with the bat in hand. The southpaw was the top-scorer for his side, with a valiant 35(26). If not for Phil Salt’s amazing knock, Kuldeep would have ended up being the highest scorer of the match. If his deadly spin wasn’t already enough, now he’s a danger with the bat as well.
Powerplay King
Not Trent Boult, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, or Deepak Chahar, but Vaibhav Arora has the most wickets in the powerplay. The pacer, who’s played just five matches, has already taken 7 wickets in the powerplay. The right-arm swing fast bowler has impressed everyone with his consistent wicket-taking ability at the start, and one might not be shocked if he becomes a regular for KKR.
Axar Patel goes under the radar
A scratchy 16(25) in the first inning and Kolkata Knight Riders’ heavy thumping have made people forget about the masterclass Axar Patel put up with the ball. By the time the left-arm spinner got the ball, the score was 79/0 after 6 overs. What did he do next? Get a wicket on his first ball, and that too, Sunil Narine. In his second over, he sent Phil Salt back. The match was over by then, but that didn’t stop Axar from doing his best, as he ended with 2/25 from his four overs.
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