Narine sizzles in emphatic win for KKR
LUCKNOW: Kolkata Knight Riders recorded an emphatic 98–run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL here on Sunday. Set to chase a daunting 236, LSG was bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. The victory helped KKR reach top of the table with 16 points from 11 games, leapfrogging Rajasthan Royals. Lucknow, meanwhile, moved down to fifth with 12 points from 11 games.
LSG’s chase never took off as the team kept losing wickets in the face of disciplined bowling. Marcus Stoinis top-scored with 36 (21b, 4x4, 2x6) and along with skipper KL Rahul added 50 runs for the second wicket. But once the duo was separated, things went downhill for LSG. Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers taking three for 24, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy took three for 30.
Earlier, Sunil Narine continued his explosive run with an 81 off 39 balls, propelling Kolkata Knight Riders to 235 for six.
Proving his worth with the willow once again, the West Indian went on a six-hitting spree, blasting seven maximums and six fours.
The in-form Narine, who was dropped twice in the space of two balls, smoked five boundaries in five balls, setting the tone for the KKR innings.
First, he hammered backto-back fours off Naveen-ul-Haq in the last two balls of the third over. He then attacked the offside, hitting three boundaries on the trot off Mohsin Khan in the fourth over.
Narine and Phil Salt (32) gave the two-time champion the explosive start it has come to expect from the duo. Together they put up a quick 61-run stand before Naveen-ul Haq took the pace off the ball to send the Englishman packing.
Medium pacer Yash Thakur then stemmed the flow of runs in the final over of the powerplay, giving away only two runs as KKR reached 70/1.
However, the unperturbed Narine continued his onslaught and brought up his fifty off 27 deliveries with a cheeky late dab that sent the ball rolling past short third.
He took a particular liking to Marcus Stoinis, sending the ball over the fence three times in the 11th over.
But Ravi Bishnoi, on whose bowling Narine was dropped twice before, was third time lucky as he put an end to the all-rounder’s spectacular innings.
BRIEF SCORES: KKR 235/6 in 20 overs (S Narine 81, N ul-Haq 3/49) bt LSG 137 in 16.1 overs (H Rana 3/24, V Chakravarthy 3/30)