Whatever the result for the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals be, cricket was certainly the winner after Sunil Narine & Rishabh Pant played rich innings on Wednesday. While one achieved his highest-ever T20 score, the other only continued the momentum from the previous match, and made a solid case for an India comeback.
But to pick a better performance out of the two might be a tough job. Instead, all the plaudits can be reserved for little-known, 18-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who slammed his maiden fifty in IPL 2024, that too in only 25 balls, making everyone forget what Narine and Pant did. Here is your dose of Daily Review System for April 4.
Is Sunil Narine a Batsman, Bowler, or an All-Rounder?
The Trinidadian blazed his way through 85 from 39 balls slamming seven sixes and as many fours. The 35-year-old is batting better than he has ever before in the IPL, making everyone believe he’s more of a batsman now, that a bowler in the KKR setup. His innings meant KKR went on to register the second-highest IPL score ever, of 272/7.
How Many Runs Did Rishabh Pant Score?
A second consecutive fifty in the tournament means, Pant has, kind of ended the debate, as to who will be India’s first-choice wicket-keeper for the T20 World Cup. Unless for any unforeseen fitness issues, he is boarding the flight to USA & the West Indies. Coming back to the DC vs KKR match, he scored 55 from 25 balls.
Who is Angkrish Raghuvanshi?
It might just be a little too late to answer, ‘who Angkrish Raghuvanshi is’, now. The world has seen enough of him to gauge that he could be the next big thing to come out of the IPL. Batting for the first time ever in the tournament, he showed no signs of nervousness, and combined well with Narine to bring the 100-run partnership in only 44 balls. He himself struck 54 from 27.
Not to Forget, Anrich Nortje’s Fifty
We ought to talk about this one. DC bowler Nortje has a forgettable outing as he was punished severely by the opposition batsmen. The lanky South African ended up returning with figures of 3/59 in his four overs. Meanwhile his teammate Rasikh Salam missed his fifty narrowly, and finished with figures of 0/47 in three overs. Phew, that’s a lot of runs.
Mitch Starc, Let’s Talk Numbers
In three matches Starc has picked up two wickets for KKR. That means his overall bowling figures in IPL 2024 read — 2/125. That might not be too bad. Think again. Coming in at a price of 24.75 Cr, Starc makes 7.3 lakh per delivery he bowls. So far, he’s bowled 66 in the competition. That means, for his two wickets till now, KKR have already paid him 4.8 Cr. That’s an insane amount of money with negligible returns so far.
Look at Vaibhav Arora
In the same team, there was a certain Vaibhav Arora, who was retained for 60 lakh by KKR. He delivered a much better performance with 3/27 under his belt. Unlike the much-in-news express pacer from LSG, Arora went about his business quietly, picking up wickets with swing only. He blew away the DC top-order with much ease.
Super Over: 6 News Flash of April 3
Russell on the Floor
In what is being touted as the best ball of IPL 2024, Ishant Sharma came up with a beauty to dismiss Andre Russell. The perfect yorker-length ball hit the timber hard, as Russell lost balance and fell flat on the pitch.
One Over Wonder, Iyer
The only thing that didn’t go in KKR’s favour on the day was Venkatesh Iyer’s 12th over, that went for 28 runs. Pant just decided to give it a go, and hit 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4 in the over, taking him to his fifty.
Prithvi ‘Shock’
As Prithvi Shaw was playing his match against KKR, a report claimed that a court in Mumbai had directed the police to investigate the allegations of molestation on him, levelled by Sapna Gill.
Rayudu in CSK Camp?
Having retired from IPL last year, Ambati Rayudu was recently spotted in the CSK camp once again, in the team practice jersey. Is he joining the team again, albeit in a coaching role? This could be interesting.
Surya Fit, Mumbai Hit in IPL 2024
After three losses on the trot, there’s something positive coming MI’s way. Best T20 batsman in the world, Suryakumar Yadav is finally fit, and will play in Sunday’s match against DC.
Rumour of the Day
A report in News 24 Sports claimed that the rift between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya has deepened, and the former will not play for the MI from the next season.
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