LSG VS KKR MATCH 54

Right then, this is it from an entertaining double-header where Kolkata convincingly defeated the home side Lucknow and climbed to the top of the table with 16 points and a superior net run rate. And earlier, it was Chennai who got back to the winning ways by defeating Punjab. Next up in the Indian T20 League is an exciting clash between the team clad in orange and black, and in-form Hyderabad taking on Mumbai who will be playing for their pride at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The match will be played on Monday, 6th May and the first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). But as always, you can definitely join us for the pre-match build-up. Till then, cheers, and take care!

Sunil Narine is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his stellar all-round performance. He starts by saying that the most important thing is starting well and you cannot ask for more when you have the backing of the support staff. Shares that it is important to pick your strengths on the day and he is enjoying batting. Mentions that the partnership with Varun Chakaravarthy is going well and Varun picking wickets is making his job easier. Adds that Varun is a hard worker and it is good to see him do well. Tells that the boys in the group have been eager to play and are up for the challenge no matter what the situation is.

Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Kolkata says that there's been havoc in the dressing room since the last six matches and also says they don't assess the pitch in the first six. And says that after having a chat with Sunil Narine at the break, he informed that it looked like a 200-plus track and anything beyond that would be a big bonus. Further adds that they are flexible in terms of right and left-handers. On being asked about the performances of the uncapped youngsters, he says there's absolutely no pressure on them and the mindset is simply to go out and enjoy which is working pretty well for them. Appreciates the openers and says that they have been fabulous so far and the kind of starts they have provided, he hopes they keep with the same kind of approach.

Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

Harshit Rana is up for a flash interview for his brilliant bowling figures of (3.1-0-24-3). He says that his focus was to hit the deck hard and he's happy to execute his plans well. Adds he has worked really hard on his bowling. Appreciates Andre Russell and says that he brings the right balance to the bowling unit. Further adds that it becomes easy for the rest of the bowlers as well.

The captain of Lucknow, KL Rahul says that they had too many runs to be scored in the second innings. Adds that while chasing such totals, you try to go hard and you end up losing wickets. Feels that they were poor overall with the bat, ball and in the field. Tells that the young bowler could not handle the pressure against the likes of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine. States that it was a really true wicket and Kolkata got a total which was 25-30 runs above par. Reckons that the execution went wrong and they will try to move on and get better. Ends by saying that they are on the road for the last three games and winning all of them is crucial and that will give them the freedom to express themselves.

Earlier in the game, Lucknow's decision to put Kolkata into bat didn't quite go as planned. The opening duo of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine came out all guns blazing, smashing boundaries and sixes with ease. Narine was particularly unstoppable, blazing his way to a remarkable 81 runs off just 39 balls, featuring 7 towering sixes and 6 boundaries. Angkrish Raghuvanshi also played a steady innings, adding 32 runs to the total, while Ramandeep Singh's late cameo boosted Kolkata to a hefty total of 235 runs, marking the first 200-plus score at this venue in T20 cricket. However, Lucknow's chase didn't quite live up to expectations. Despite a solid partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, they faltered under pressure and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy were the chief tormentors, picking up three wickets each, while Andre Russell took two and Sunil Narine had a solitary wicket to his name. This collective bowling effort ensured Lucknow couldn't keep up with the required run rate, leading to their downfall in the chase.

On the flip side, Kolkata got off to a promising start after setting Lucknow the daunting task of chasing a massive total. Mitchell Starc carried on his good form from the previous game and made an immediate impact, grabbing a wicket in his very first over, thanks to a stunning catch by Ramandeep Singh. However, Kolkata couldn't capitalize on this early breakthrough and struggled to contain the boundaries. Just when it seemed Lucknow might be gaining some momentum, Harshit Rana stepped up with a crucial wicket, dismissing KL Rahul and bringing Kolkata on the top with an excellent 3-fer later. Varun Chakravarthy joined the action and made an instant impact by taking a wicket as well. Andre Russell then built on this momentum by getting rid of the dangerous Marcus Stoinis, swinging the game back in Kolkata's favor. Russell's dismissal of Nicholas Pooran further strengthened Kolkata's position, while Varun Chakaravarthy chipped in with two more wickets after that, ensuring Lucknow couldn't stage a comeback and defeated them by a staggering 98-run margin. Overall, Kolkata's team looked like a well-oiled machine and ticked all the boxes.

KOLKATA WIN BY A HUGE MARGIN OF 98 RUNS AND TOTALLY OUTCLASSED THE HOME SIDE LUCKNOW TO HOP ONTO THE TOP OF THE POINTS TABLE! Lucknow were tasked to chase a daunting target of 236, and they started off in a decent way as KL Rahul found some early boundaries. Unfortunately, Arshin Kulkarni's time at the crease was short-lived. Then, Marcus Stoinis stepped in and flexed his muscles with some powerful shots, getting Lucknow back on track. Stoinis took charge while KL Rahul played the anchor role, steering the innings steadily. Stoinis kept the boundaries coming, making the most of anything wide of off-stump, and Lucknow had a solid Powerplay. Just when KL Rahul attempted to up the ante, he perished on 25 and Deepak Hooda too, got dismissed cheaply. Things just got bad to worse for the home side as the well-set Marcus Stoinis too went back to the dugout sooner, which caused a quick collapse even before halfway. Nicholas Pooran too, had a brief stay and couldn't wreak much damage and after that, Lucknow collapsed badly like a house of cards and just couldn't really recover back.

OUT! PLUMB IN FRONT! A confident appeal and up goes the finger! Harshit Rana bowls the off-cutter from over the wicket, full and straight, at the stumps, Ravi Bishnoi fails to pick the change of pace and presses forward to clip it away off his pads. He gets undone by the lack of pace and gets beaten on the inside edge. The ball goes through to rap him on the crouched back leg right in front of the stumps. It looked dead straight at first glance and this looks like a review more in hope than anything else by Ravi Bishnoi. There is nothing on UltraEdge and the Ball Tracking shows the ball to be clipping the leg stump and it is umpire's call. The on-field decision will stand and it is all over for Lucknow. All smiles in the Kolkata camp as they win by a handsome margin of 98 runs.

Strategic Break! Well, Kolkata is just one wicket away from getting a convincing victory which will not only inflate its net run rate but also help to climb to the top of the Points Table. It has been absolutely one-way traffic since the fall of KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis as Lucknow just couldn't strike a comeback into this game, losing wickets at regular intervals.

OUT! TAKEN! Varun Chakaravarthy gets his reward for floating it up there! Chakaravarthy offers flight from over the wicket, full and around off, Yudhvir Singh gets down for the slog sweep. He swings with all his might but only manages to get a top edge that goes high in the air but only as far as cover where Andre Russell settles under the skier and makes no mistake. Third wicket of the night for Chakaravarthy and Lucknow are crumbling towards a heavy defeat.

Drags the length back and bowls it on off, Yudhvir Singh goes on the back foot and pushes it to cover.

SIX! Yudhvir Singh finally connects! Tosses it up, full and on off, Yudhvir Singh accepts the invitation and hits it cleanly over wide long on for a maximum.

Flatter and quicker, on off, Yudhvir Singh hangs back to keep it out but gets rushed and gets beaten on the inside edge.

How did that miss the stumps? Loops it up nicely, full and around off, turning in, Yudhvir Singh gets down for a big heave across the line but misses as the ball sneaks just past the off stump.

Goes full and on off, Ravi Bishnoi knocks it down to long on for a single.