KKR POST MAMMOTH 222/6 AFTER SALT’S BLISTERING START
KKR vs RCB – Kolkata Knight Riders put on a batting masterclass against Royal Challengers Bangalore to post a daunting 222/6 in their 20 overs at Eden Gardens. The home side got off to a blistering start thanks to an explosive innings from opener Philip Salt.
Salt took the RCB bowling attack apart in the Powerplay, smashing 48 runs off just 14 balls. His innings was a blitzkrieg that included 7 fours and 3 sixes as he dominated the opening overs. RCB finally got the breakthrough when Salt skied one to Rajat Patidar at 48.
However, the KKR onslaught continued as the in-form Venkatesh Iyer struck 16 off 8 balls before holing out off Cameron Green’s bowling. Green took a sensational diving catch to dismiss the dangerous Angkrish Raghuvanshi for just 3 runs as RCB tried to stem the flow of runs.
Sunil Narine chipped in with 10 runs but failed to capitalize on the start provided by Salt. It was left to captain Shreyas Iyer to provide the backbone of the KKR innings with a well-crafted 50 off 36 balls. He received able support from Rinku Singh (24 off 16) and Andre Russell’s late cameo of 27 off 20 balls.
Despite RCB’s bowlers managing to strike at regular intervals, they had no answers to KKR’s deep batting lineup on a batting beauty at Eden Gardens. Yash Dayal was the pick of the bowlers with 2/56 but went for plenty of runs.
Chasing a mammoth 223 for victory, RCB will need to produce something special with the bat against KKR’s feared bowling attack led by Russell, Narine and others. Based on the first innings, the match is tilted heavily in KKR’s favor.
ALSO READ: SRH vs DC IPL Yesterday’s match – Abhsishek Sharma and Travis Head’s batting mayhem crumble DC
KKR vs RCB Batting and bowling performances
Best Batting Performances:
Philip Salt – 48 runs off 14 balls (7×4, 3×6) – Powerplay innings
Shreyas Iyer – 50 runs off 36 balls (7×4, 1×6)
Andre Russell – 27 runs off 20 balls (3×4, 1×6) – Death overs
Shreyas Iyer played a very important knock of 50 off 36 deliveries to provide solidity in the middle overs after the blazing start from Salt. His well-paced fifty held the KKR innings together before the late flourish from Russell and Ramandeep Singh. Thank you for catching my omission, Shreyas Iyer’s half-century was one of the best batting performances for KKR.
Powerplay Performance (0-6 overs):
KKR 75/3 after 6 overs
Philip Salt 48 runs off 14 balls
Best Bowling Performance:
Yash Dayal – 2/22 in 2 overs
Lockie Ferguson – 1/47 in 4 overs
Cameron Green – 2/35 in 4 overs
Yash Dayal was the most economical and successful bowler for RCB, picking up 2 wickets for 22 runs in his 2 overs.
Lockie Ferguson and Cameron Green also chipped in with a wicket each but went for runs, conceding 47 and 35 runs respectively in their 4 overs.
Death Overs Performance (16-20 overs):
KKR scored 95 runs in the last 5 overs
Andre Russell 27 off 20 balls
Ramandeep Singh 24 off 9 balls
So KKR had an explosive start in the powerplay thanks to Philip Salt, and then accelerated superbly in the death overs with cameos from Russell and Ramandeep Singh to post a daunting 222/6.
ALSO READ: SRH vs DC – SRH’s Record-Shattering 266/7 Leaves DC Battered and Bruised in IPL 2024 Clash
