In the 36th match of the IPL 2024, KKR batted admirably against RCB in the opening innings. The two-time champions played some solid baseball in front of their home crowd.
After winning the toss, the captain of the RCB, Faf Du Plessis, decided to bowl first. Karn Sharma, Mohammad Siraj, and Cameron Green entered the side with their three changes. As they fielded the same XI against RR, KKR did not make any changes.
The best batsman for KKR was Phil Salt, who led the team to 48 runs in just 14 balls before being out. Conversely, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh all made respectable contributions for KKR. The RCB gave up 20 extras. Their best bowler was Cameron Green, who, in his four overs, gave up 35 runs and claimed two wickets.
51 runs in 23 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders
At the pinnacle, Phil Salt lost his mind. Star batsman Sunil Narine was having difficulty getting going from the other end, so he took on the RCB bowlers. Salt appeared to be at the top of his game, but Southpaw was unable to take advantage of the broader deliveries. With two sixes and four fours in the opening over, the right-handed hitter brilliantly welcomed Lockie Ferguson. KKR scored 50 runs in 3.5 overs as a team throughout this phase.
Powerplay: First Strategic Time-out and Overs 0.1 to 6 (Mandatory: 75/3)
RCB quickly responded in the next two overs. After 48 runs, Muhammad Siraj removed the dangerous-appearing Salt from the game. With a slower, wider delivery, Yash Dayal defeated Sunil Narine. Cameron Green made an amazing one-handed catch to help him remove Angkrish Raghuvanshi for 3(4) later on. KKR scored 75-3 at the conclusion of the first powerplay. That was when they called the first strategic timeout.
Also read: IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 36th Match: Who Said What?
101 runs in 53 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders
Together with Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer stabilized the KKR innings. In a brief cameo, the latter assisted KKR in keeping up the run rate. After attacking, Cameron Green got rid of Venkatesh for 16 (8). Alongside Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh delivered several strikes. The Southpaw ran out of time after scoring 24 (16). KKR scored 100 runs in 53 balls during this process.
150 runs in 91 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders
While Rinku was being taken back to the pavilion, Andre Russell moved into the center. A few close-overs were avoided by RCB. The new batsman attempted to find a middle ground. Iyer had to take some chances as a result. After hitting a few boundaries, the captain of KKR attempted to exert more pressure on the bowling side. Following the conclusion of the fifteenth over, KKR amassed 150 runs.
Shreyas Iyer, half a century, from 35 balls
The innings were led by Shreyas Iyer on his end. The captain of KKR gave the opposing team freedom to express themselves. It took the right-handed batsman 35 balls to reach his fifty. During his stint in the middle, the great batsman hit seven fours and a six in his 50 runs in 36 balls. Iyer partially made up for the sluggish start to the innings. He was the only KKR hitter to reach the fifty-mark.
Kolkata Knight Riders: 155/5 (16 overs) at the second strategic timeout
The best bowler for the Royals, Green, got rid of the KKR captain for fifty-six (36). At the conclusion of the sixteenth over, KKR scored 155 runs at the expense of five wickets. The host team lost 2 wickets to get 82 runs in the middle overs after scoring 75/3 in the powerplay overs.
KKR scored 222 runs at the end of the inning.
The final four overs saw KKR come in strong. Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh took a firm line to the bowlers. KKR scored 67 runs and lost just one wicket in the final four overs. Russell finished with a score of 27*(20) for the inning. With two fours and sixes in his 24*(9) score, Ramandeep had a great cameo. KKR used their 20 overs to score 222 runs at a cost of 6 wickets.
India
