In a vivid display of cricketing excellence at Eden Gardens, Phil Salt’s unbeaten 89 off 47 balls orchestrated a sensational eight-wicket win for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 28th match of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This victory marks KKR’s fourth win in five outings this season, underscoring their formidable form, especially on their home turf.
Starting the chase of 162, Phil Salt set the tempo high right from the start. The atmosphere was electric as Salt unleashed a flurry of shots against the LSG bowlers. The opening salvo came in the very first over bowled by IPL debutant Shamar Joseph, which saw 22 runs blasted off it. Despite the early dismissals of Sunil Narine (6) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (7), Salt’s aggressive batting never waned.
Fortune also smiled on Salt as a couple of challenging catches went down; notably, in the seventh over, where a well-timed pull was mishandled by a fielder at deep square-leg, tipping the ball over for a six. Additional inside edges narrowly missing the stumps further added to Salt’s advantageous innings. Amongst the aggressive hitting, Salt also showcased exquisite timing, particularly with a piercing drive through point off Arshad Khan that not only thrilled the fans but brought up his whirlwind half-century in just 26 balls.
Shreyas Iyer, though more subdued, played an able second fiddle with a crafted 38 off 38 balls; his role primarily was rotating the strike and watching the Salt show unfurl. Approaching the game’s midpoint, KKR were comfortably positioned at 101/2 after 10 overs.
As the game progressed, KKR continued their dominance with Salt finding boundaries consistently, leaving the LSG bowlers scrambling for answers. By the time the winning runs were scored, KKR had outclassed LSG, reaching the target with a whopping 26 balls remaining, thereby boosting their net run rate to an impressive 1.688 – the best in the tournament to that point.
Earlier in the day after winning the toss and opting to bowl, KKR’s bowlers made immediate inroads into the LSG batting lineup. Quinton de Kock began swiftly for LSG but his stint was curtailed by Vaibhav Arora, as Sunil Narine completed the catch at short third-man. KL Rahul, the LSG skipper, injected some momentum with his positive batting, including a classy six over cover. However, consistent breakthroughs from KKR, including a crucial caught at point dismissal of Deepak Hooda by Mitchell Starc, stymied LSG’s progress.
LSG’s efforts to rebuild were spearheaded by Nicholas Pooran who played a valiant knock of 45, peppered with power-packed boundaries. Despite this, LSG could only set a target of 162, as KKR’s tight bowling in the death overs, led by Starc’s return spell clinching 3/28, kept them in check.
This match not only highlighted Phil Salt’s batting prowess but also underscored KKR’s strategic depth in both bowling and field placements. As KKR scales the points table with each win, their performances in IPL 2024 look promising for more thrilling cricket and possibly a shot at the title. For LSG, refining tactics and regrouping will be pivotal in their next fixtures to turn around their fortunes in this fiercely competitive league.